Cold Winter's Night
by Dark Angel Syndrome
Summary: What they don't know is that they might just fall for each other...if they don't kill each other first Ichi/Hitsu. DISCLAIMER: I just own the idea for this. I don't own Bleach. That's Kubo Tite, not me. Shuu/Ren and Yumi/Ikka included. Not AU.
1. Begining

Cold Winters's Night

It was a pleasant day in the Seretei, and as a Taichou's Meeting came to a close, the Taichou in charge, Yamamoto-sou taichou, announced that the substitute shinigami Kurosaki Ichigo would need assistance in making sure that Karakura City was safe from the hands of the Espada. 

" _Will anyone volunteer to help substitute Shinigami Ichigo Kurosaki?"_

No one answered. The sou taichou scowled, and let Ukitake-taichou speak.

" _I do know from experience that Toushiro Hitsugaya-taichou has been to the world of the living before to work with Kurosaki-kun, so why not let him go again?"_

" **Me? But I too have a squad to take care of, Ukitake-san."**

" _Yes, that is true, but you also have a fuku-taichou, do you not?"_

" **Yes, that is true, but-"**

" _It is decided. Hitsugaya Toushiro-taichou will be going to the world of the living. There shall be no further discussion. Dismissed."_

Hitsugaya nodded, accepting that fact that arguing would be childish and futile against the sou-taichou. He followed the rest of the taichous out the door, planning on leaving immediately. 

After a few hours, Hitsugaya finally arrived at the world of the living. It could be pretty dull there, but he accepted the fact, nonetheless. He walked to the Urahara Shoten, and received a gigai upon entry. Switching into it, the taichou wondered if Ichigo had even wanted, let alone needed help with the City's protection.

The orange haired teen walked along the road, toward the Urahara Shoten, where he had to pick up the person the Seretei had chosen to come to his world to help him out. Ichigo rounded the corner and noticed that familiar silver hair. They sent Toushiro. Were they _that_ shorthanded? 

" **Yo, Toushiro!"** yelled the strawberry teen at the short statured taichou. It caught the latter's attention, and he began to glare daggers at the arrogant teen, who couldn't help but roll his eyes. The 'child' walked over to him, still annoyed, and growled, **" You know very well that you are not supposed to call me that, Kurosaki-kun."**

" **So they sent you to help? Wow, are they desperate?" **came the mocking retort. 

The taichou's eye began to twitch furiously, and Ichigo, reached over and messed up the "kid's" hair. A vein in his forehead began to pulse furiously, and Hitsugaya smacked away the hand, yelling with an irritated tone, **" It wasn't my fault I was picked, Kurosaki! And take your hands off of me this instant!"**

Ichigo drew back, and spoke calmly in response, **" So, where are you staying, Toushiro-kun? Inoue's place again?"**

Eye widened, Hitsugaya started at the teenager in disbelief. Like hell he would stay over at that woman's place again; she could transform every food that was good into a horrible-tasting piece of crap. Ichigo sensed the other male's discomfort, and grinned, remembering the odd ways of cooking his friend had come up with.

" **Don't worry. You can stay at my place…as long as my sister Yuzu doesn't torture you like she does to Kon."**

" **NANI?! What does she do to your mod soul?" **

"…**you don't want to know. And plus, I'm not even sure, but with the complaining from him, I guess it's dress him up in dresses like a doll."**

" **Does she do that to your guests?"**

" **No. That'd be giving the Kurosaki Clinic a bad name."**

" **Then I should have no problem with her. The same with Karin Kurosaki. "**

" **Nani?"**

" **Yes, I know your sister, Kurosaki."**

The two began to walk toward the Kurosaki Clinic, and soon enough, the tell-tale features were less than 1/3 of a kilometre away. Hitsugaya came to realization.

" **What will you tell your nakama and family?"**

" **I'll come up with something. Don't worry."**

"…"

Ichigo opened the door, allowed the white-haired taichou into his house, and closed the door behind himself. Then Ichigo told Hitsugaya the directions to him room, and said that he'd tell his family and friends that his family had to leave to Africa on an important matter, and he had to stay behind because he wanted to live with a friend. Hitsugaya accepted the plan, and walked up the stairs, and heard Ichigo telling his family about why his friend had to stay here. 

" _All right, then. As long as he doesn't cause too much trouble, I'm fine with him in our house."_ Isshin said. 

"**Arigato, dad." **Ichigo spoke. 

Hitsugaya walked into the dark room, turned on the lights, and took a good look. It was the average room, and it smelled and felt like Ichigo. Hitsugaya then noted that there appeared to be a small rug on the carpet by Ichigo's bed. He walked over to it, and wondered what exactly it was. But before he could get close enough, Ichigo was at the door, a hand stuffed into his pocket.

" **Oi, Toushiro. Time for dinner."**

At the table, Hitsugaya felt eyes on him as he look suspiciously at his plate. The food smelled good, but so did Orihime's food…rarely. Picking up the wooden chopsticks by his plate and breking them apart, he nudged the nearest bit of rice. He was well aware of the hazards of human food. And was on edge around it, thanks to Inoue's hazardous cooking…or what she called cooking. Examining Ichigo's plate and face, he knew that he was making a fool of himself. Ichigo was nearly done his dinner, and looking at him, face ready to burst into laughter. Yuzu was looking a little worried, thinking that Hitsugaya wouldn't like her cooking. Karin looked as if she couldn't care less, and was really wondering _why_ Hitsugaya-taichou had come back from the Seretei and now lived in their house. Isshin was studying the look on his face, wondering what was going through the child's mind, not liking his daughters food.

" **You going to eat? It's not like Orihime's cooking, Toushiro."** Ichigo croaked, trying extremely hard to not laugh.

" **I have a right to be cautious, Kurosaki." **Came the retort, and Hitsugaya began to eat, trying to ignore the teens snickers. He was soon savoring the taste of the rice and chicken, forgetting all else, but his manners.

After they had all finished eating, Ichigo and Hitsugaya went into Ichigo's room, closing the door behind them. Ichigo sat down in his chair and the prodigy sat down on the bed. 

" **So why **_**did**_** you get sent here, Toushiro?"**

" **Sou-Taichou ordered me to come, thanks to Ukitake-kun."**

Sudeenly, Ichigo noticed what Hitsugaya was wearing. It was a white shirt with a folded collar, a pocket at the breast, and blue jeans with a few rips in them.

"…**I didn't choose these. Matsumoto-kun did."** Came the embarrassed remark from the white haired prodigy, a his face turning a light shade of red.

" **I know how it feels…come see."** Ichigo stodd up, and walked over to his dresser and pulled out a drawer, revealing Chappy the Bunny galore and hundreds of pink shirts and Rukia's drawings. Ichigo smiled at Hitsugaya's astonished face. Ichigo noticed something in the little taichou's pocket.

" **Toushiro, what's that in your pocket?"**

" **Nothing."**

" **Come on, don't lie."**

" **It's none of your concern, Kurosaki! And don't call me that!"**

" **Okay…just calm down then." **Ichigo replied cooly. 

Ichigo sat down again, and cmtemplated on what to talk about with Toushiro when said taichou's Soul Pager began to ring. Hitsugaya whipped it out of his rear pocket and pulled out the item in his pocket Ichigo had asked about. A Chappy the Bunny gikongan. He popped the pill into his mouth, swallowed it, and jumped to the windowsill in his taichou's haori and kimono. Ichigo grabbed Kon and did the same, soon his body was inhabited by Kon, and his soul was behind Hitsugaya's, dressed in his shinigami uniform; the signature black kimono. 

" **It's a Menos."**

" **A Menos?"**

" **Yes. An Adjuchas-level Menos Grande."** Came the stoic reply from the ice-cold taichou. The two then jumped out the window, Hitsugaya in the lead, with Ichigo beside.

The two soon reached the Menos, which appeared to be in the park. The hollow narrowed it's eyes at the two guys, and sang a fist down on near them, trying to flatten them. The two were quicker, and jumped away before the fist collapsed ontop of them. Ichigo whispered his plan to Hitsugaya, who didn't take it as a joke, Instead, he glared at Ichigo, mouthing out that he was a dumbass for thinking that plan would work. Suddenly, Ichigo was slapped by the large hand into one of the metal climbing areas, and he fell to the ground, coughing up some blood as a metal rod ripped through his waist. 

" **Kurosaki!"** Hitsugaya yelled at the substitute shinigami, who was now, out cold. The Adjuchas swang his fist down, ready to kill the KO-ed teen, when Hitsugaya jumped in front of Ichigo, and tossed the chain that had been latched to his sword, now in his hand, at the large hollow, it wrapping around the creature tightly. Suddenly, ice sprouted out of the chain, soon engulfing the hollow, killing it. With a swift tug and flick of Hitsugaya's wrist, the ice shattered and disintegrated into the atmosphere. Hitsugayathen took a good look at Ichigo, now lying on his stomach, fainted. He cast an observant eye over at Ichigo's wound, deeming it serious.

Suddenly, Uyrū, Orihime, and Chad rushed into sight, panting heavily. 

" _Toushiro-kun, what happened to Ichigo-kun?" _Gasped Orihime, looking at the injured Ichigo.

"_A Menos Grande, right?"_ Uryū asked, not appearing to care about Ichigo. Chad said nothing, for he was astonished and frightened for his friend's fate.

"**Yes." **Came the reply from the icy taichou, who was back to looking at Ichigo, his emoticons hard to read.

Orihime set to work, with cahd lifting Ichigo away from the playground, and onto the grass. Orihime called out her Shun-Shun-Rika to heal the teen. The Quincy left, suddenly having to be somewhere. Chad had to go, fore it was soon getting late, and he didn't want to go home in the dark. Hitsugaya waited for Ichigo to be fully healed. Why, he wasn't sure. It didn't feel right to leave his ally there.

" _You can leave if you want to, Toushiro-kun."_

" **I'm fine. You should be worrying more about Kurosaki and yourself than me."**

Orihime nodded, and concentrated on healing her fallen friend. Soon enough, Ichigo was fully healed and ready to go home. All he needed was some rest. Orihime was walked home, and the two guys walked home together, not talking.

" **Who killed it?"** The question had been tugging at Ichigo for a while now.

" **I did, not long after you fell."**

"**Ah, okay."**

When the two reached Ichigo's window, the sun had long since gone past the horizon, and their Gigai's waited in silence. After the two climbed in through the window, then entered their Gigais and began to get ready for bed. Ichigo threw a pair of boxers and a long shirt at Hitsugaya, who looked as if he'd missed something. 

" **You can wear that to bed, you know. That's what us guys in the world of the living wear to bed."**

"…**What exactly is it?"**

"**Toushiro, you know absolutely nothing about our customs here, do you? You slip the shirt over you head and-"**

" **I know how wear a shirt, Kurosaki! What are these?"** Hitsugaya pointed at the boxers.

" **They're like underwear."**

"**Hmmm."**

Hitsugaya asked where the bathroom was, and received directions. Remembering them and following them, he knocked and opened the bathroom door, closing it behind him. When he came out, he had the clothing Ichigo had lent him on and the oter clothes in a bundle. Ichigo told him to place it in his hamper, near the closet. Hitsugaya did so, and watched as Ichigo, now in a t-shirt and boxers also, reclined on his bed, and looked at the ceiling. Ichigo, feeling the ice cold eyes on him, glanced at the taichou, and their eyes met. Brown and aqua. Hitsugaya shifted his eyes from Ichigo's to the bed.

"**You're bed's over there."** Ichigo grinned an pointed at the small rug-thing on the floor near Ichigo's bed. 

" **What is it?"**

" **It's called a sleeping bag."**

Hitsugaya wasn't sure what to do when he came close to it, but Ichigo wanted to see what would happen, and if the taichou asked for help, he'd help.

After a few minutes, Hitsugaya was inside the sleeping bag, and Ichigo was amused.

" **Good night, Toushiro."**

"**Don't call me that, Kurosaki. And good night."**


	2. Injury

It was about 7am by the time Hitsugaya woke up. And it was not a pleasant wake-up call, either. He heard loud noises from the bathroom. Buzzing noises. His eye twitching, the taichou struggled against the sleeping bag's hold, and soon was free. He then walked over to the washroom, and heard humming above the buzz. Before he could knock on the door, Ichigo grabbed his shoulder and told hi that it was a device called a shaver. His father used it everyday to shave off his beard…to a point. Understanding, Hitsugaya followed the teen into Ichigo's room, and Ichigo gave him two choices.

" **Alright, Toushiro. Now, you can either go to school with me, or stay here with my crazy dad. Which do you choose?"**

" **I'd rather go to school."**

Ichigo then handed Hitsugaya's school uniform, and told him to meet him at the front door when he was ready. Hitsugaya let Ichigo leave the room before taking off the night shirt, revealing lightly lined abs. Ichigo peeked in as Hitsugaya's back was turned, slightly curious. His skin looked so soft…Then Hitsugaya turned around and kept his eyes on the shirt he was putting on, seemingly not noticing Ichigo at all.

Ichigo could barely take his eyes off of the little taichou, till he realized that he was supposed to be downstairs at the door. He quietly ran downstairs to the door, and looked as if he'd been waiting for a while and not peeking at a taichou's abdomen. He grabbed his iPod and headphones, hung the headphones around his neck, and placed the ipod into his pocket.

Meanwhile, Hitsugaya was full-aware that Ichigo had peeked at him, but wouldn't let him know that. He really didn't care as long as he wasn't looking when his pants were off. Hitsugaya walked down the stairs, the uniform on, and looked at Ichigo as he put on his shoes.

" **Is there a custom here where you go out in no shoes?"**

" **Nani? AH! I forgot the shoes…hehehe.." **Said the embarrassed Ichigo, putting on his shoes.

When they were on their way to Sohma High School, Ichigo placed the headphones over his ears, and turned on his iPod.

" **What's that?"**

" **Oh, this? It's an Ipod."**

" **What is that?"**

" **A device where it plays music. See?"** Ichigo took off the head phones, paused that song, place the head phones on the Taichou's ears, and the song almost blasted into his ears.

" _Miageta yozora no hoshitachi no hikariMukashi no omoi negai ga jidai wo koe iro aseru koto naku todokuKirari hitomi ni utsuru dare ka no sakebi kaze ni omoi woTsuki ni negai wo chikara aru kagiri ikiteku n da kyou moBokura no omoi mo itsu ka dare ka no mune niHikari tsuzukeyou ano hoshi no you ni."_

"**What is this?"**

" **Asterisk, by Orange Range. It's Alternative Rock. "**

" _Hitotsu futatsu kane no oto wa hibiku kokoro no naka e to hiroku fukakuMonogatari no you na hoshi no shizuku sono naka ni hosoi senrou wo kizukuJikan to tomo ni jidai wa ugoku nagareru hoshi wa shizuka ni ugokuMe wo tojite mimi wo sumaseba GOOD BYE!"_

Then Ichigo paused the song and took off the headphones and put them in his bag. They had arrived at the high school. The two walked into the yard, then into the front doors, just as the bell rang.

" **Follow me, Toushiro."**

" **Don't call--"**

" **I can't call you Hitsugaya-taichou now. So let's just settle for Toushiro for now."**

" **Hitsugaya, then."**

" **Deal."** Ichigo couldn't believe he caved in. To a _child_, no less.

They walked into the classroom, and attention was directed completely at Hitsugaya. They all felt as if they had met him before, but couldn't justify it. The teacher walked over to Hitsugaya and Ichigo and asked Ichigo if Hitsugaya was a new student. Ichigo came up with a story to tell in a flash.

When the two got home from school that day, Hitsugaya's eye was twitching violently. That kid Keigo was so annoying. Hitsugaya pitied Ichigo now, having to see that freak every freaking day. Ichigo put his bag down onto the floor and sighed. What a hectic day.

Suddenly, a large ball of reiatsu broke into Ichigo's room, and the two both swallowed a gikongan pill and became Shinigami in a flash. Hitsugaya knew this reiatsu too well. Aizen Sosuke was here. Furrowing his eyebrows in anger as he remembered what that traitor did to Momo, Hitsugaya glared daggers at the all-too familiar face. A mock smile on his face, Aizen threw kidō at the prodigy, not caring about Ichigo. Hitsugaya blocked the large, glowing needle with Hyourinmaru and shattered it with his own icy reiatsu. Aizen gave up on using kidō, and attacked with his sword, that smile still on his face. Hyourinmaru and Kyoka Suigetsu clashed, and the two struggled. But suddenly, Aizen reached out to touch Hitsugaya's sword, but Ichigo, knowing from what had happened to him and Renji, pushed Hitsugaya, which caused him to let go of his sword, and Aizen's finger hit Ichigo. Blood spilled out everywhere, and Ichigo fell, coughing up blood. Aizen bit his lip, and aimed at the taichou again. Ichigo tripped Aizen, the kido missing Hitsugaya by a mile. Aizen then teleported away, not wanting to embarrass himself anymore.

Matsumoto, a strawberry blonde woman, her Shinigami uniform loose in the neck, revealing a large part of her cleavage, received a text on her Soul Pger that night from her taichou, saying that the substitute shinigami Ichigo Kurosaki had been badly wounded. Her face grew forlorn, but soon changed to a happy look. She had gotten a brilliant idea. She'd play Matchmaker to make the two happier. Pair them up with someone nice. She immediately scheduled a trip to the Human World to Orihime into tomorrow's agenda. She told Yumichika at the bar later that night, who thought it was a lovely idea, and agreed to go with the fuku-taichou to Orihime's place.


	3. Feelings

Ichigo woke up, stiff and sore. This was not a good feeling. What he noticed when he tried to sit up in bed, was that his shirt was off, and he was covered in bandages. Who had put them on him? He looked over to his chair, seeing a sleeping prodigy in the middle of math homework. Ichigo wasn't sure who's math homework it was, but he knew by the bags under the taichou's eyes that they both wouldn't be going to school; he himself was too injured, and Toushiro…well, he was exhausted, and would probably sleep the day away. Ichigo couldn't help but notice how thin the taichou was, but remembering yesterday's sight, Ichigo knew that he was a force to be reckoned with, despite his small stature. Ichigo felt a little weird around him, a strange feeling twisting and weaving its way into him, and he was nearly overcome by the urge to wrap his arms around the boy as he slept, maybe bury his face in the fluffy-looking white hair. But Ichigo told himself, " What the hell is wrong with you? You're a guy! You can't have feelings for that shrimp! He's not even you're height yet!"

And he shook those strange thoughts away and tried again to sit up, but wasn't strong enough yet.

Hitsugaya woke up, blinking a few times, before noticing that he had been doing Ichigo's math homework before he fell asleep.

" **Oi, Toushiro."**

" **Good morning, Kurosaki."**

" **Was anybody in here last night? "**

" **No, why? "**

" **It's these bandages…who?" **

Hitsugaya gave him a guilty look, and returned to scowling. Ichigo smiled, and sighed. Suddenly, there was a pain in his chest.

" **Looks like we both won't be going to school today, Toushiro."**

" **Why? "**

" **You're too tired, and I'm injured."**

" **I'm not tired."**

" **Then why are there bags under your eyes?"**

"**Drop it, Kurosaki."**

At Orihime's house that morning, Orihime decided to skip school, due to that Matsumoto and Yumichika forced her to stay home and play Matchmaker with them.

" _So, why exactly are we doing this?"_

" _**To make our little taichou and your substitute happier! Especially now since they have to live together under the same roof. I know better than anyone how irritable taichou can be"**_

" _Then why are you here?"_ Orihime asked, pointing at Yumichika.

" _**I am here to see if the person you two pair them up with makes them a beautiful couple!"**_ Yumichika said, overjoyed at the experience at playing this game.

" _Oh, okay!"_ Orihime said, pleased.

" _**Alrighty then, who does Ichigo-kun like the most in the world?, Orihime?"**_

" _Umm…Rukia…I guess."_

" _**Then we gotta make them love each other!"**_

" _Uhhh…how?"_

"_**You're lucky the mistress of love came to town, Orihime. Without me, it's be a disaster!"**_

"_But…"_ Orhime bit her tongue. She didn't ask for this. She hoped that she'd be paired with Ichigo. That was the only reason she joined. That, and Rangiku said that she's hurt her if she didn't join. Little did the three matchmakers know that pairing their strawberry with their adopted sister of the Kuchiki clan would be a disaster indeed.

Back at Ichigo's room, Hitsugaya and Ichigo were bickering about something. They were close to yelling at each other, when the 'dropped it'. Then the orange strawberry had a 'great idea'.

" **Hey, Toushiro. Why were you hanging out with Kei, Fujita, and Botan?"**

" **I have my reasons."**

" **But they're the school bullies."**

" **So? I can hang out with anyone I wish to. Plus, what went on between the four of us was none of your concern, Kurosaki."**

" **Oh yeah, I think it ****is**** my concern, Toushiro."**

" **Why is that so?"**

" **I'm pretty sure I heard them poking fun at you."**

" **They weren't doing no such thing."**

" **You sure? I heard them. And their mouths were moving, too."**

" **Stay out of my business."**

" **I thought we already went through this, Toushiro. With that Kusaka incident. You weren't made to be a coy person, so stop trying to be. Loosen up a little. "**

" **Don't bring that up."** Grumbled the taichou, who turned his back to the teen.

" **Now you're acting like a kid."**

" **Nani?"**

" **You heard me, Toushiro."**

"…**I'm not acting like a child."**

" **Yeah, you are. You're acting like a bratty child who can't have his own way."**

" **Kurosaki?"**

" **Yeah?"**

"**Shut up."**

And with that, they dropped the subject. Hitsugaya turned around to look at the injured teen lying in his bed. The slightest bit of pity was felt, along with something else mixed in. Strangeness. Something he had never experienced before, even around Momo. He guessed what it was. Even in a small amount, he could tell that he was starting to have feelings for the orange-haired idiot. He shook the feelings away, but they didn't leave. They just sat there at the back of his mind.

" You can't have feelings for him, idiot. Think about other things. Watermelon." He thought, but when his mouth started to water, he pushed watermelon to the back of his mind, too. He searched through his mind for something. Something else. He stopped when the hauting image of Kusaka came to mind. And suddenly, he figured out that he had long since forgotten the alien feeling when Kusaka had been killed. So he had felt it around his old classmate, too. But that was so long ago, and only recently had he been finally put to rest. His face grew a little sad, unintentionally.

" **Hey, Toushiro…if what I said brought up bad memories…then I won't bring it up again. Just don't look like that. "**

Hitsugaya noticed what he had done. He had to make up for it, and his head shot up from looking at the carpet beneath his feet, and he growled,

" **I don't need your sympathy, Kurosaki. You need to rest. So get to it."**

Ichigo decided to listen to the prodigy, and in minutes, was asleep. Hitsugaya looked over at him from his shoulder, and decided to go for a nap. He crawled into the sleeping bag on the floor and closed his aqua eyes. The picture of Kusaka burned into his eyelids, forcing him to see it whenever he blinked. Suddenly, the picture came to life, and his eyelids replayed the memory of when Kusaka first died.

_There was a long stretch of land, further than he ever imagined. Covered with ice. He had been here before. Many times in dreams like this, where a mighty dragon, made completely of ice, landed before him. But in this dream, there was no dragon. Instead, there was Kusaka. And Ichigo. Both of them had their swords in hand, and were taking a fighting stance, ready to slash at each other. Their words echoed through the plain, reaching his ears._

" _**Why can't you just leave Toushiro alone? If he wants to move on and leave you behind let him do so!"**_

" _Stay out of this, kid! I know him best, and I know he'll keep on missing me!"_

" _**I'm only here because I care about what happens to him! He's a friend, and you should care too, not torture him with painful memories!"**_

" _If he doesn't want to be tortured, than he should forget me!"_

" _**Well he can't do that if you keep reminding him about you!"**_

" _What are you going to do about it , huh?"_

" _**Just leave him alone and I'll leave you alone!"**_

" _You have no right to tell me what to do!"_

_Then Kusaka ran at Ichigo, who kept his guard up, and used his large sword to shield himself from the attack. The swords clashed, and the rest became blurry. Hitsugaya felt some pain in his chest. This was too real to be a dream. But Kusaka was dead, and Ichigo wasn't healed. Was this a dream? Suddenly, there was a numbness that slowly crept through him, and he fell. The tuft of silver hair that always hung over on of his eye drooped and touched the cold ice below. That was when Ichigo pushed Kusaka away and ran toward Hitsugaya. He kneeled down and saw that Hitsugaya had fainted. How, he wasn't sure. But Ichigo knew that this wasn't good. He picked up the prodigy, and turned to face Kusaka, who clearly didn't care. Kusaka just turned his back and walked away, in defeat. Ichigo watched the dead soul disintegrate, and kept on walking._


	4. Reckless

Hitsugaya woke up from his nap at about 12 in the afternoon. Ichigo was still sleeping, but Hitsugaya was shaking. Why? He wasn't sure. Most likely the dream. He struggled with the sleeping bag yet again, but got out quicker that last time, and stretched. A large yawn emitted from his throat and he covered his mouth with a hand, remembering his manners, even if he was in a place where manners meant next to nothing. He decided to go for a walk, so he left a note to Ichigo by his pillow that he was going out. Hitsugaya straightened his hair a little by coursing his fingers through it. The prodigy took one last look at the room, and walked to the front door. He then opened the door and began to walk away, closing the door behind him. He didn't know how long he'd be gone for, but he knew that he had a chance of not returning if what he was about to do took longer than expected.

Thoughts of regret and anger bounced around in his head. Those bullies had threatened him. He was only being brutally honest when he told them that they really needed a reality check. And then they went as far as to threaten Ichigo's safety if he didn't go. Those bullies had scheduled a fight at 1 in the afternoon, outside of the school. Why? Hitsugaya didn't know. But he was only going because he had made a bargain with them: If he lost, they could do whatever they pleased to anyone. He won, they had to never hurt anyone again. He had made a bargain that threatened the whole school's safety. A bargain Ichigo would have been proud of, since he apparently, was the King of Reckless Bargains. And to think he had to be here only because of the Espada. He guessed that Ichigo had been behind his coming here, trying to force the poor sap who came to go to school with him and get harassed by bullies like everyone else.

" **Why did I even agree to do this?"** He groaned, head pounding.

" _Hey Toushiro! Finally came!"_

" _**Yeah, took you long enough!"**_

" _**Did Ichigo keep you behind, scared that you'd get hurt?"**_

"**No."** Came the stoic reply

" _**Good. Circle him."**_

Just as the leader said, the other two began to circle him, like wolves.

" _**Do you know what we do to smartasses that get in our way, Toushiro?"**_

"…"

"_**Answer me!"**_The leader grabbed Hitsugaya's shirt collar. Wrong move. Hitsugaya tripped him, and as the other two raced toward him, he backed away and watched them crash into each other. The leader got up and threw a few punches at the prodigy, who easily dodged them, and on the last one, grabbed the fist and shoved it back, it unintentionally landing a punch in the bullies face. The other two grew cowardly, only for a second, and rose up to grab the taichou, and succeeded.

The leader then got up, his nose bloody, and did something unexpected: he turned into a large creature, looking like some sort of bear with a white mask. A hollow. The other two let go of him and slinked to the ground, turning into a type of candid. Hitsugaya had guessed that the three of them had been hollows due to their large amount of reiatsu. He grabbed for his gikongan pills, but realised that they weren't on him. Cursing himself, Hitsugaya tried to find a way to defeat the hollows. Being in this gigai didn't make him helpless, it made him unable to destroy most hollows. He could probably kill the other two, and tussle around the leader. But how long would he be able to keep it up?

Hitsugaya didn't have much time, for they were all advancing on him in a large triangle. He jumped up as far as he could in his gigai, and kicked one of the candid hollows square in the forehead, shattering its mask and killing it. The other candid leaped, and Hitsugaya attempted a dodge, but the hollow was faster, and pinned him to the ground. It then gathered up it's reiatsu and charged a cero. But just before the attack was unleashed, a soccer ball bashed it's jaw, cracking part of it's mask. A girl with short, black hair raced toward Hitsugaya, who instantly recognised her as Karin Kurosaki, one if Ichigos little sisters, possibly the eldest of the two.

" _You okay, Toushiro?"_

" **I'm fine. Shouldn't you be in school?"**

" _Yeah, but I felt your presence and these idiot's presences so I came as fast as I could to help, since my brother's injured and can't help."_

The candid roared, and leaped at Karin, claws outstretched. Hitsugaya kicked the soccer ball at the hollow, hitting it's back. It flew at Karin, who ducked, and the hollow landed face-first into the cement, shattering its mask, and disintegrated. The leader allowed himself a cruel laugh at his underling's stupidity, and turned to the prodigy, who looked for a weakness. The bear-like hollow growled, and aimed a clawed paw at Hitsugaya's head. As the paw got closer and closer, it began to feel numb, and Karin, was sliding away slowly, not of her own will. Cold reiatsu gusted around the taichou like wind, flurries of snow blowing around freely. The leader growled and suddenly felt hot liquid. Very hot. It saw a large sword with blood on it. His blood. And an arm on the ground, twitching in agony. His arm.

The hollow screamed, the sound echoing to all that were able to hear and see ghosts. The slim form of a teenager stood in front of the Hitsugaya-taichou and Karin. Orange hair covering his brown eyes. Hitsugaya knew instantly that it was Ichigo. Had he become well enough to fight?

Ichigo then threw a _Getsuga Tenshou _at the hollow, destroying it.

" **Karin, go back to class."**

" _Okay, Ichi-nii. Bye, Toushiro."_

When Karin was gone, Hitsugaya yelled,

" **Kurosaki? Are you an idiot?! What about your wounds?"**

" **Nice to see you too, Toushiro. And anyways, why did you forget your gikongan pills?"** Ichigo countered, remarking at the fact that the taichou had forgotten the pills on his desk.

" **Whatever…and…thanks."**

" **Nani? What did you just say?"**

" **I didn't say anything. "**

Ichigo sighed. Arguing with Toushiro was trivial; no matter what he always won of he and Toushiro argued. Why? Who knew? Certainly not Ichigo, that's who.

**Yo, Toushiro."**

" **Yes? "**

" **Let's get home."**

" **Yeah. Kurosaki?"**

" **Yeah, Toushiro?"**

"**My name isn't Toushiro. It's Hitsugaya-taichou. Do try to remember that. "**

Did Ichigo just hear a small laugh? He'd probably never know…

-------------------------------------------------

At Orihime's house, everyone was brainstorming ideas to try and get Rukia and Ichigo together, when Yumichika suggested that they try to get him jealous. So they devised a plan to put into place tomorrow.


	5. Hollow

At school the next day, Rukia decided to show up, along with Renji, courtesy of the 'matchmaker trio' and basically ruined the day. Thorough out the whole day, whenever Ichigo passed her and Renji, she'd give him a weird look in the eye and ask him if he was jealous, Renji looking as clueless as ever. Why she was doing that, only Rukia and the matchmakers knew. 

Rangiku was laughing through out the whole time, out loud. It drew everyone's attention, and when Hitsugaya walked over to her to ask exactly why she was here, some people walking by asked him if he knew her. 

" **Of course I don't know this woman. "** He said, one of his eyes twitching in annoyance. Rangiku had a great idea at that moment.

" _I know who taichou likes! ME!"_ She then tried to fall on her taichou, expecting him to catch her. But he just took a step back and watched her crash to the ground. A few laughs from people in the small crowd that gathered were heard, and Matsumoto's face grew red. Very red. 

" _Hitsugaya-taichou, you were supposed to catch me, idiot!"_

" **What did you just say, Matsumoto-kun?"**

" _Er…umm…nothing…see ya, taichou!"_ And off she ran. Hitsugaya groaned, and looked at the crowd, now sick of being around people. He glared at everyone, and made everyone wary of him. They then backed off, and ran back to their classes, hoping that this kid wouldn't burst at them.

When the two got back from their 'exciting day', they just hung around in Ichigo's room. Ichigo decided to bring up an awkward topic, such as the fact that Rangiku had fallen down when Hitsugaya should've caught her, and Hitsugaya replied with a snort, **" I'm not catching her even if she gives me watermelon. She should be the one that shouldn't be asking for anything from me. I've been doing most of her paperwork since I became a taichou. "**

Ichigo couldn't help but nod. He didn't know how that must feel, but hey, he knew that Rangiku **was** extremely lazy. 

"**Looks like you have an exciting life, Toushiro."**

" **Humph."**

A thick reiatsu creeped into the room, surprising the taichou and the substitute shinigami. They both swallowed the gikongan pills and raced of the window, in soul form. Seeing Grimmjow outside didn't surprise Ichigo all too much. Ichigo cleached his laws, and raced out at Grimmjow, who smiled psychotically before dashing at Ichigo. The two clashed, and Grimmjow caught a good hold of Ichigo's shoulder. Using all of the strength in his arm, Grimmjow flung Ichigo away, into a fence. Ichigo flew into the fence, and felt the searing pain of cold, metal chain links forced into his back. Hitsugaya leaped at the Espada, his shikai summoned, and circling them. The Japanese frozen water dragon roared, and flung itself at Grimmjow, who destroyed it with a single cero blast. 

Ichigo struggled to rise, hot blood seeping from his small back injuries. They were just flesh wounds. Nothing more. The teen raised his sword, and slashed it in Grimmjow's direction, shouting out, _**" GETSUGA TENSHOU!"**_ The wave of light sped toward the Sexta Espada, who destroyed it as soon as it touched his hand. Time for Bankai. 

" **Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu!"**

" **Bankai, Daiguren Hyourimaru!"**

Good. Toushiro knew how strong this guy was. That made it easier for him to explain later. 

The fight dragged on for an hour or so, and then the whites of Ichigo's eyes turned black, and his eyes turned yellow. Grimmjow knew this all too well, and tried to pierce the hollow mask. But Ichigo rabbed 

Grimmjow's wrist, smiled a smile that Gin would be proud of, and spoke, in corrupted voice, _**" Nice try, buddy, but King's let me take over now!"**_

With a cackle, the hollow threw the espada into the nearest building. Grimmjow crashed headfirst, and growled racing at the teen. The best controlling Ichigo, his hollow, jumped, dodging the Espada. Hitsugaya

tried to attack the espada, but was tossed off by Ichigo. He wasn't sure who this person that looked like Ichigo was, but he wasn't Ichigo. Hitsugaya grinded his teeth, and flew overhead. Grimmjow shot at cero up at him, piercing his wing, and the body of Ichigo ran at him, and at first looked as if he'd catch the prodigy, but let the taichou fall to the ground. Ichigo, noticing what had just happened, tried to regain control, enraged at what his hollow had done.

" **That's enough! Let me out now, hollow!"**

" _**Hey, I never get any time out here, King! Let me have one more minute! I can make you win! I can kill this freak show!"**_

" **If you don't kill Toushiro first!"**

"_**Come on, you know me! I'm only having my fun, King!"**_

"**It's not fun if he gets hurt!'**

" _**Oh, now I remember! You just don't want that pipsqueak to die because-"**_

" **SHUT UP, TEME!"**

It was then that Ichigo ripped off the hollow mask, and raced down after the injured taichou, catching the prodigy and placing him onto a roof nearby. He then ran after Grimmjow, who had surprisingly, left. Ichigo scratched the back of his head, and heard the raging voice of his inner hollow, 

" _**TEME! You bakaka! You lost him, all because of that twerp! You lost this battle, King. Next one you start loosin' expect me to come out!**_

" **No way in hell are you coming back out if you're just going to kill my friends!"**

Then the hollow shut up. Ichigo walked over to the prodigy, who had a painful look on his face, bankai shattered. Ichigo wanted to hold him close to him, but chased away the thought, pretending that it hadn't been there at all while his inner hollow yelled out catcalls and random things when Ichigo had shaken the thought away. 

The teen, concerned, carefully picked up the taichou again, but suddenly, a red beam of light shot him in the arm, causing him to drop the unconscious prodigy. 

" **Kuso! "**

" _You thought you were gonna get away untouched, Ichigo?! Pathetic!"_

" _**Come on, King! I'll kill him this time!"**_

There was a thump, and Ichigo noticed that the taichou had hit the ground.

" **Toushiro! Get up!"** Hitsugaya was slowly regaining consciousness, but still didn't respond in anyway. Grimmjow's smile returned, and watched as Ichigo's inner hollow overpowered the teen's will, and grinned back. A worthy opponent. The fight commenced, ceros and swipes at each other, swords and hands clashing. Blood stained all involved, the taichou's haori, Grimmjow's white clothes, and Ichigo's bankai's clothing. With his face dyed a deep crimson, Grimmjow aimed a close-range cero at the helpless Taichou, and the inner hollow flung the espada into a wall, and the small cero that had been gathered up pierced through a tree. 

Hitsugaya tried to get onto his knees, but felt a sharp pain in his left thigh, and below the left knee; his leg was broken twice in different places. Blood seeped from a wound in his scalp, dying the roots of his hair red, the blood dripping down over his eyes and to his chin, every now and then, the blood on his chin dripped to the ground.

" **Damn it…" **He groaned, falling back to his place on the ground. The inner hollow laughed in that corrupted voice of his, and grinned madly. This was one of the most fun things he'd ever done. This espada was fun to fight.

" _**Yo, King! Lemme fight more often, eh? You might win a bit more!"**_

"**Maybe. For now, just concentrate on Grimmjow. "**

" _**What about that kid over there, King? Thought you cared wether he lived or died. "**_

" **Huh? Ah, Toushiro! That's enough for you, hollow!"**

" _**Come on, King! The least you could do is depend on yer Horse!"**_

" **I said that's enough!"** Ichigo forcefully ripped off his hollow mask and sent a powerful _Getsuga Tenshou _at Grimmjow, his inner hollow letting him borrow some power for that one attack, after having a negotiation. The teen then headed for the prodigy, who seemed to be in bad shape, considering he barely fought at all. His injures were due to his carelessness. Not because of Grimmjow. Not because of his inner hollow. Hitsugaya had no one to blame but Ichigo. And Ichigo knew he deserved it.

" **Kurosaki…?"**

" **Have no time to explain. I'll take you to Inoue, alright? I'm sure she'll help you out. Right now I have to finish this battle."**

" …" No reply. Ichigo kept his face grim, and used _shunpo_ to get to Orihime's house. 

" _Kurosaki-__kun! What happened to Toushiro-kun?"_

" **No time to explain. Could you please heal him? I'll be right back. I won't be long! And **_**arigatou!"**_

Then Ichigo used another shunpo to get back to Grimmjow. Orihime. Nodded, and said, 

"_Sōten Kisshun. I Reject." _And a barrier formed around the injured taichou, beginning to heal him.

Ichigo soon resumed his battle with the espada, who wasn't pleased that the inner hollow was making a pattern with his entraces and dsappearences.

" _**Come on, King! The kid isn't here so I can't hurt him! Lemme out!"**_

" **Ugh…fine."**

" _**YEAH! TIME TO KICK SOME ASS!"**_

The hollow mask yet again grew onto Ichigo's face, and Grimmjow smiled. This was like heaven to him, finally having someone worth killing.

" _**Alright! King let me out again! Damn this is fun! Don't worry, King! I won't disappoint you, yer highness!"**_ Came the corrupted voice, and the hollow attacked Grimmjow, clearly having fun.

After another hour of fighting, the hollow was growing stronger each minute, and making Ichigo a little worried. What if something horrible happened, like the hollow resumed full control of his body, unless he didn't want it that way? What if Ichigo had to watch all those he cared about get killed by the inner hollow? 

" **Hollow, that's enough!"**

" _**No! Co**__**me on Kingy, lemme have my fun!"**_

" **Give it up!"**

" _**No way! This freedom is boundless! I can do whatever the hell I want! It's amazing! No way am I going back in unless you let me out more often!"**_

" **GET OUT OF MY BODY!!!"**

" _**No way in hell! I'm gonna be the King soon, Kingy! And you'll be my Horse!"**_

" **Damn it, get OUT NOW!"** Ichigo screamed, trying to control an arm so he could rip off the mask. The hollow turned on him, and cackled outloud, 

" _**No way, King! You were too weak, so I'm finishing the job and making sure that you kill all those that stand in yer way! Then you can come out!"**_

" **LEAVE ME ALONE, BASTARD!"**

Ichigo regained control of his right hand, and proceeded to try and rip off the quickly forming mask on his face. But the control was only temporary, and soon, the hollow's power numbed him, and Ichigo couldn't beat it. Sure, he had the will to fight this beast, but he didn't have the strength.

Meanwhile, Grimmjow grinned, and took this opportunity to attack the teen, whom of which had an inner struggle. But before he could grasp the throat, he felt something numb one of his legs. Something cold. Looking behind, he saw the chain, winded around one of his legs. And below him, in the air, the chain covered in ice led to the brat that Ichigo had taken away earlier. There was a glare in the young taichou's eye, daring Grimmjow to touch the teen with a finger. Grimmjow decided to take that dare. He still reached out for the teen's throat, but Hitsugaya was quicker and pulled the chain, tripping the esapda.

Ichigo saw this, and tried to yell out to the taichou, but he inner hollow just kept his mouth shut. Hitsugaya wasn't sure what was happening, but those golden eyes…they just burned into his soul, and he knew, deep inside, that this wasn't Ichigo. Not because of the mask, not the strange way he talked, or the colour of his eyes, but the lust in his eyes. The bloodlust. The way those haunting eyes stared at him like he was a meal. The eyes of a hollow. A monster. Grimmjow had those eyes. Kenpachi had those eyes. Not Ichigo. Those weren't eyes of a friend. They were the eyes of a killer who had no soul. No remorse. That wasn't Ichigo.

Grimmjow slowly tried to stand, but his frozen leg was rendered useless, so he ripped it off. The leg shattered, and the chain was freed. Hitsugaya rewound the chain and saw a yellow beam cast itself onto the espada. Grimmjow was gaining altitute above them, slowly, and he grinned, saying, 

" _You both are dead. Remember my name, okay, shinigami?"_

He then disappeared into a black rip in the sky. Hitsugaya looked at Ichigo-no, Ichigo's body that was being controlled by a hollow- and looked into those bloodthirsty eyes. Aqua versus gold. The hollow started back, and thought, _**" Hey, King. I'm gonna have some fun with the brat, okay? Wait, never mind. Why do I need yer permission, **__**Horse**__**?"**_

" **TEME! Don't you dare do anything to him!"**

" _**Aww…how sweet. Horsey likes a little shingami! What'r ya gonna do, Horsey? "**_

" **LET ME OUT!"**

" _**No. Now ye know who I feel, eh? Not so good, huh?" **_Came the cackle, out loud. Hitsugaya's eyes widened, and guessed that Ichigo's consciousness hadn't been destroyed, as he had earlier guessed.

"…**Kurosaki…are you okay?"**

" _**This, 'Kurosaki" is busy right now, and can't take a message!"**_

" **NO I'M NOT, HOLLOW! Toushiro, that isn't me! I'm here!"**

Was that Ichigo's voice right after that hollow's vioce? Ichigo sounded okay. Hitsugaya was slightly relieved.

" _**This is MY body now, HORSE!"**_

" **NO! YOU FORCEFULLY CAME INTO ME! THIS IS MY BODY, AND MINE ALONE, LEAVE IT ALONE UNLESS YOU'RE ASKED!"**

" _**Come on, Horse! Gimme a few more seconds, just long enough to have my fun…"**_

Something in that last thing the hollow said made the other two nervous. Hitsugaya wanted to help his ally, but wasn't entirely sure how. He wouldn't cheer, or give encouraging words, but maybe few looks will help. Ichigo stuggled gaints the hollow's grasp on him, and Hitsugaya watched, not sure what to do. He walked over to Ichigo's body, and ried to help take off the mask. He was met with a foot in his stomach, causing him to fly back a few metres. The hollow's voice rang out, screaming, and fron within it, Ichigo yelled out at Hitsugaya who fell on his front, and struggled to get up, panting and trying to get back his breath,

" **Toushiro! That's enough, hollow!"**

" _**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"**_

Hitsugaya coughed, and stood up after some trouble, and walked back to Ichigo's body, writhing in the air. He tried again to help Ichigo rip off the mask, and soon, after mush effort, the mask was ripped off, the hollow's last few words that could be understood were,

" _**All this power…for nothing…damn you. Both of you."**_

Ichigo then regained complete control over himself, and sighed, beads of sweat on his face. Hitsugaya looked back up at his eyes. Brown. Kind, soft. No anger, hatred, or bloodlust. This was Ichigo.

" …**I…can explain, Toushiro…"**

" **No need, teme. The next time you plan on releasing that inner hollow of yours, warn me beforehand, idiot. And my name's not-"**

" **I know, I know. You're name's Hitsugaya-taichou."**

Ichigo smiled, laughing a little. Hitsugaya let the corners of his lips lift ever so slightly, in a small friendly smile.


	6. Capture

A few days after the Inner Hollow Incident, Ichigo went out for a walk around the Karakura City, but didn't come back. Hitsugaya noticed this when the familiar reiatsu stopped. All he could sense was the older, stale reiatsu from hours ago. Hitsugaya pushed the thoughts and slight worries to the back of his mind, and waited til the morning.

That morning, Ichigo still wasn't there. Now bothered by the feeling that Ichigo wasn't about to come back, Hitsugaya ran to the school, forgetting breakfast. He had to go see Rukia and Renji. The two recognised the small taichou in his school uniform, but didn't see the orange teen.

" **Kurosaki…didn't…return…from…his walk…last night…"**

" _What?! Where could he have gone? Did you follow his reiatsu?"_

" **I can't…"**

" _Why, Hitsugaya-taichou?"_ Asked Rukia, worried.

" **It's stale…he left the City hours ago. Last night to be exact."**

" _TEME! Why didn't you follow him? "_

" **I thought he'd be back by morning…ask Inoue!"**

" _Orihime! Did you see Ichigo by any chance?"_

" _Who's Ichigo?"_

" _Ichigo Kurosaki?"_

" _Never heard of him. Are you okay, Rukia-chan? You look sick."_

" _Oh no…"_

" **Kuchiki, Arbarai. Stay here. Try to explain my absence to the teachers. Ichigo's friends won't need an explanation for his absence, as you can see."**

" _Hitsugaya-taichou! Where are you going?"_

Hitsugaya just gave them a look and ran off, following what ever was left of the reiatsu.

The orange teen opened his eyes, dazed. He was sore all over, and felt dried blood on his forehead. He tried to wipe it away, but his hand collapsed before he had a chance to lift it to his forehead.

" **Kuso…"**

Hitsugaya texted a report to the Sou-Taichou, telling him that he was just going to scout out the area and call for the rest of the Shinigami stationed in Karakura City to come and help. But he ment the exact opposite. Hitsugaya had a feeling that they would not get there in time. He would go on alone, and free Ichigo. He knew that he was taking a risk, fighting against the beasts that were strong enough to take the Vaizard on by force and capture him, but the idiot had risked his life for the taichou a few times in the past, so it was _his_ turn to be bull-headed idiot.

After three long hours of searching, he found the hiding pace of Ichigo's captives. The beasts that were holding him hostage were hollow-like, but had black masks and white bodies. Their eyes were golden, like Ichigo's inner hollows eyes. Bloodthirsty, and had no intention of showing any mercy to those in their way. The young taichou almost flinched when he saw their eyes. _**Almost**_. One of the larger beasts noticed an unfamiliar reiatsu and grunted, possibly telling his comrades to be aware of a stranger.

Ichigo groaned, causing all the beasts to look at him, but he didn't notice them. All he saw was that familiar tuft of white hair and light teal eyes. He squinted, trying to focus his hazy vision, but to no avail. The teen shook his head, in denial. Toushiro wouldn't have come. He couldn't have. The taichou would have to be out of his mind to come after him. Or was he?

" **Tou…shiro…?"**

Instantly reacting to the unusual sound, the largest beast tried to knock out the teen again, with a swift blow to the strawberry's head. The young prodigy then jumped out of his hiding place in the brush, and with a swift flick of his sword, decapacitated the creature with his sword, and then beheaded it. The useless body fell to the dirt, and the others attacked, most of them frozen in small blocks of ice, others mangled and ripped to shreds from trying to rip off the ice from their wounds and body. Hitsugaya wiped his sword clean on a separated arm.

" **Toushiro…what the hell are you doing here?"**

" **What does it look like, idiot? Can you stand?"**

" **Ugh…I'll try."**

Ichigo tried to stand, as he said he would, but was unable to stand for long. When Hitsugaya questioned the strength in his legs, Ichigo growled,

" **I can stand and walk just fine."**

Hitsugaya gave him a sarcastic look that said, 'Right…and you can also avoid Captain Zaraki effectively while you have a large neon sign strapped to your back that says _Look, Ichigo Kurosaki is in the Soul Society! _and marching along past the Eleventh Division's barracks'.

Ichigo took the small joke in that look and laughed, noting that the taichou was glaring at him. No, behind him. Ichigo turned around and saw a group of hollows, probably levels of Adjuchas or Gillian arrancar. All of them had an evil smirk on their face, and stared at the injured teen.

" _Lookit what we got 'ere, guys. A little boy an' a bleedin' kid. Whatdoya say we do wit 'em?"_

" _Let's rip them to shreds, eh?"_

" _Limb from limb!"_

" _let's get rid of the boy, his twitchin' eye's buggin' me."_

Hitsugaya instantly reacted to being called a little boy by letting his right eye twitch uncontrollably. He then noticed that Ichigo was beginning to get short of breath as the time passed, the loss of blood was taking it's toll on him. Ichigo yet again tried to stand up and call out his Bankai, but then was picked up effortlessly by a tall, thin arrancar with the rest of his mask covering one of his ears. His hair was raven black, and his eyes were a brilliant orange, like Ichigo's hair. A psychotic laugh came from the man, and he grinned, showing off his hollow hole and his burn mark where he had been expelled from the Espada.

" _Ye see this, kid? I got it from tryin' to kill Aizen-sama. You know, the guy with all the Espada and hollows wrapped around his finger and have them following behind him, tail between their legs and heads up their asses? Yeah, I tried a mutiny against him. I used to be the Tenth Espada, till that day. And these guys are the guys that tried to help me. I had a lot more, but they were killed on our way out. So now me and my guys are trying to get more forces. Join us, and we'll let you guys achieve whatever the heck ya wanna achieve."_

He shook the teen, who did not a thing to resist. He didn't even say a thing. Not enjoying the teen's silence, the man then shook him again, and said in a voice that sounded playful and a little mocking,

" _Don't like my little deal? Then how about this: you do what ever I tell ya to, and not only do you get our help with our goal, but your little taichou just might go home with you…alive."_

Ichigo looked at the prodigy, who was trying to fight off the other arrancar, who were throwing him around and beating him pretty bad. Ichigo yelled out for the hollows to stop, but all they did was laugh when one 'forgot' to catch the prodigy and he fell to the ground, on his face, and pick him up again and begin the game again.

"…**what do I have to do?"**

" _Now we're talkin'! You have to promise first, though."_

Ichigo looked at the prodigy, who was taking a beating and string at the teen in disbelief, with a look in his eye, telling the strawberry that he could handle this himself. Ichigo didn't want to see the taichou all broken and beaten…and dead. Not now, not ever. If they even tried to do that, he'd kill them, unable to walk or able to walk.

With his voice thick with fatigue; he said, staring the ex-espada straight in the eye,

" **I promise."**


	7. Attraction

_The Espada allowed himself a large smile, and lifted the teen to his eye level. _

" _Ya know what? I like you. That's why I'm gonna make this easy on you, 'kay, Shinigami? All ya gotta do is give me Aizen's head on a platter, and I'll let you and your little friend go. If not, then my guys will eat his soul. Kapeesh?" _He then cackled again, and threw Ichigo onto the ground. He suddenly noticed something: The teen probably wouldn't survive the trip to Hueco Mundo without some healing. Another smile crossed his lips, and he said, laughing,

" _Ya better hurry; you might die 'fore ye get there, weakling."_

Ichigo yet again tried to stand and fell again. Seeing his troubles, the ex-espada sighed, impatient. 

" _Man, you got problems, huh? What's so hard about understanding 'Hurry or you'll kill yourself and your friend'? Get off your lazy ass and hurry up!"_

"**Can't you see that he's already lost too much blood? Or are you that blind?"**

" _Ahh…the kid finally speaks. Nice to meet you too, freak. You feelin' a little rebellious eh? Just sit back and watch. Chill out. We ain't gonna hurt him…yet."_

" **Back off, idiot. Can you hear his breathing? Time isn't on his side right now. You're just doing this out of pleasure. Go pick on someone else."**

" _Hey, look! The kid's got a lot of gall to be standing up to me! What's your problem, twerp? You bark worse than your bite?"_

" **I'd gladly slice you to bits here and now, but my friend needs medical help. Teme."**

" _What did you just call me?"_

" **You have perfectly good ears. You heard me."**

" _Alrighty then. You don't know who you're up against, kiddie."_

" **I know very well what I'm up against. Complete idiot who probably couldn't kill a thing. You crapped out, arrancar. Normally, I would destroy you here and now, but as you can see…" **Hitsugaya looked at Ichigo, who was stuggling to get up once more, **" …I have no time to do so."**

" **Toushiro…run…I can…handle…these…guys with…my hollow…just get out…of…here…"**

" **Kurosaki, you should be the one running. Your hollow will try to consume you again…"**

" **I can't run, Toushiro! And I don't want you around if he takes over…"** Ichigo's face told Hitsugaya that he had seen the surprise and fear in his eyes when he looked into the eyes of the hollow.

" _Awww…so cute! Friends fighting always makes me smile."_

" **Toushiro…trust me…I won't…let it…control me…"**

" **KUROSAKI!"** The hollow swang his sword's blade down, and there was a cry of pain from Ichigo, who received a deep back wound. Hitsugaya reacted by jumping at the arrancar full force, trying to crush him with his reiatsu.

Ichigo struggled against the will to let his Hollow take over, and after a long while of resisting, his hollow broke loose, and covered his face with it's mask. His sclera turned black, and his irises turned golden, and bloodlust filled them. His determined voice became corrupted and high, and sounded like a cackle. 

" _**Man, Ichigo, you're so pathetic! Gettin' your sorry ass kicked by a stupid ex-espada! This guy's a piece of cake, King! You WIMP!"**_

" _Ah, a better foe. Great! What's yer name, hollow?"_

" _**Depends on what ya want to call me! But in all reality, I'm just the Horse…at least til I can make his side rot to death!"**_

" _Humph. Such a trivial subject."_

The hollow then stood up, forgetting the fact that Ichigo's legs were weak, and sliced the arrancar's shoulder, blood spurting from the wound. He then began to slice away, the arrancar getting overwhelmed by the force of the blows. Then one last stab was ensued, and the arrancar was killed. The hollow turned around cackling in childish glee and looked at the rest of the arrancar who were either scared and ran away, or stayed out of shock. They are also killed effortlessly. The hollow yawned, not really having as much fun anymore.

" _**That first guy was more fun…humph. You really got rid of all the good guys, King. Or they don't wanna be in the presence of a weakling like you. Hey, kid, you better than all those guys back there, or something? You that full of ego? If you are, come at me, and I'll tell ya if you're good 'r not."**_

The hollow looked at the prodigy, a slightly cruel smile lacing his sly face. Hitsugaya knew that Ichigo should've controlled it when the creature had killed the ex-espada, but there were no signs of strain in the hollows voice, nor was it filled with and signs that Ichigo was trying to push it away. Not sure what to do, the taichou just looked at the hollow, trying to find out exactly how he could help, if there was even a way to help. The hollow noticed the pause in movement and smiled even wider, a smile that Gin Ichimaru himself would have given ten stars. 

" _**Feh, ye can't help the weaklin' now, kiddie. Now, are ya gunna fight me, or are ya gonna go play with yer toys like a good little boy?"**_

"…"

" _**What's yer problem kid? Dun understand English? I'm tellin' you to beat it, 'less you can fight me like a man."**_

" **I know that Kurosaki's still there, somewhere, hollow."**

" _**So what if he is? What can ya do 'bout it, kid? Yeh can't do shit to me if yer like Ichigo."**_

" **Unlike him, I'm a Taichou. And as a Taichou, I have eliminate all threats to Seretei, if it costs me my life."**

" _**So yer sayin' that ye'd kill Ichigo just to get rid a' lil' ol' me?"**_

" **No. I'm saying that I will kill you and keep Kurosaki alive."**

" _**Yeh can't do that! Ye'd have to kill Ichigo to do that. And I think that ya can't do that, right?"**_

" **Where did you get that idea, hollow?"**

" _**Don't play dumb***k with me, kiddie. I'm a part of this weak teme, and I can read his thoughts. I'm a part a' his soul. I know that he's been thinkin' weird thoughts about you. An' some of them--"**_

"**GET OUT."**

" _**Ah, come on, King! Not much longer!"**_

" **GET OUT! NOW! TEME!"**

After a few moments of fighting with his hollow, Ichigo's will slowly began to slip away, once again. Hitsugaya watched all of this, and felt something stir inside of him. He felt the need to help his comrade, along with that feeling again. That longing feeling, like he had felt in that dream. He tried not to give in; he was stronger than that. He never cried, never showed much emotion. To anyone. Even Hinamori and his dear Grandmother didn't see much of what was inside. He had always felt alone, and much of his life, he was happy to be alone. But when he met Kusaka, that all changed. Loneliness left him, and was replaced by another feeling. He began to feel a little attracted to the other male, and he never knew why. And when Kusaka died, he never felt so alone in his life. When Ichigo came, he didn't like the teen at all. He did like the teen's intentions to save Rukia. And when the teen had helped him kill Kusaka for the final time, it was the first time he had felt that feeling toward Ichigo. And now it was stronger than ever, and was pulling at him, tugging at his heart, his ever confused heart. He then gave up to the pull, and found himself walking closer to the teen, who was trying to control the hollow; the darkness inside his heart. 

Ichigo noticed that the young taichou was getting closer to him, and he wasn't sure why. But there was a sad look in the prodigy's eyes. Ichigo suddenly felt the hollow toss his body to the ground and he grunted. He felt his will weakening by the second, faster and faster, and the hollow slowly controlling him, enveloping him. Suddenly, he saw Hitsugaya crawl onto of him, and Ichigo shuffled his body so his head could rest on a rock. He wasn't sure what the taichou had planned, but the hollow was making him have an overcoming urge to kick the taichou in the stomach, but he resisted, and the hollow kept on sending urges to kick off the prodigy. 

It didn't take Hitsugaya long to get face to face with a strained and confused Ichigo. He then drew closer, and paused, his lips close to Ichigo's. Their lips touched and turned into a soft kiss. His light teal eyes closed, and Ichigo's surprised eyes closed too, and when the kiss was over, were a brown again, and the mask had disintegrated. Hitsugaya still didn't move from his spot, and the two just stared at each other, trying to read their faces. The hollow had finally settled deep into Ichigo's soul, where it belonged. 

" **Kurosaki…"**

" **Yeah, Toushiro?"**

" **Please…don't tell anyone about what I just did."**

They both had felt the blood rush to their cheeks when the kiss began, and were still feeling it now. They had probably both turned 50 shade of red each from when the kiss began to at that moment. Ichigo looked as if he had considered what Hitsugaya just said, even though he already had the answer in his mind, and said, smiling at the prodigy, 

" **Sure, Toushiro. You can trust me."**

Hitsugaya smiled, letting the last 50 times Ichigo had called him 'Toushiro' slide. 


	8. Nightmare

" **So what are we going to tell them?"**

" **What do you mean, Kurosaki?"**

" **You know what I mean, Toushiro. Now we have each other's Reiatsu on us. How are we going to explain that? "**

Hitsugaya never thought of that. He answered simply,

" **We can say that I fell on you by accident as I was searching for you."**

" **What about the blush on your face?"**

" **You're blushing too, Kurosaki, and we can say that your captors tried to burn us alive."**

" **That makes sense."**

Hitsugaya then stood up, and watched the teen try to stand on his injured legs. Rolling his eyes, the young taichou grabbed the teen's wrist and pulled him on his feet.

" **Oi! You're strong, Toushiro!"**

" **I'm a taichou, what did you expect?"**

" **Oh…yeah…"**

The two then performed shunpo out of the forest and back to Karakura. They arrived at the Kurosaki Clinic at about 7:53 pm, and had to explain to Ichigo's dad why they were home so late and why they were both hurt. Both had come up with a story on the way back, that consisted of someone getting robbed and they both help out the victim and were injured while doing so.

Once in Ichigo's room, the two sat down, Hitsugaya on Ichigo's chair, Ichigo lying down in his own bed, looking up at the ceiling. It was then that the taichou noticed how painful the wounds on he other looked. He was about to suggest that he go and get Inoue when Ichigo spoke.

" **We should get Orihime tomorrow. It'll be Saturday and I don't want to disturb her right now. And plus it might be easier for me to walk over to her house without getting noticed. "**

" **KUSO!"**

" **Nani?"**

" **Left my Gigai in the bushes back there…"**

" **No wonder my dad looked at me all weird! Crap."**

" **I'll go get it, just stay here."**

" **You sure you'll be alright? You look worn out, Toushiro."**

" **Never mind me. Worry about yourself, Kurosaki."**

And with that, Hitsugaya walked back to the forest. He noticed Ichigo's blood on the road, and cursed. The teen was lucky to be alive after that. They both were. Ichigo's wounds had healed slightly, and his laboured breathing had turned calm and normal.

Retrieving and getting into the Gigai, the young taichou sighed, and noticed that he too had left a trail of blood, but it wasn't heavy, unlike Ichigo's. There was a searing pain as he discovered that his injures were transferred to the gigai, and he coughed, the heat of the blood on his clothes making him feel soaked. It was if he had just gotten the wounds again, the fresh blood seeping out. This gigai had a small problem. Injuries shouldn't be transferred to the Gigai, right? Hitsugaya wasn't sure, but it just felt wrong. Unnatural. Then again, an artificial body that looked exactly like you just couldn't be natural.

Now the taichou felt sort of helpless, unable to use kido or shunpo, especially now when he needed it the most. He almost wanted to take off the gigai and carry it back. But then again, what if someone saw it? A lifeless body floating in the air was not exactly a common sight in Karakura, now was it?

By the time the Taichou returned, it was about 8:13pm, and Ichigo was long asleep. He crawled through the open window and saw Ichigo, asleep in his own bed. There was a groan of pain from the teen as he tried to sift his body toward the wall that was closest to him, and Hitsugaya realised that the injuries were causing the orange-haired substitute shinigami much pain. Thinking quickly, the taichou slipped out of his bleeding gigai and uttered a healing spell and watched as Ichigo's injuries on his arms and face were healed into small or large scars. Guessing that Ichigo's legs, chest and back were healed as well, he the healed himself and his gigai, and then slipped into the gigai, and wrapped himself in the sleeping bag. But then he heard more painful moans, and realised that he had only healed Ichigo's skin, he probably still had other wounds in his muscles and organs. Cursing his own mistake that might have cost the teen his life, the taichou realised that he wasn't very skilled in that area of healing, and would probably hurt the teen more, so he used the spells he knew to heal deeper that skin wounds and knew that the spells would not keep the pain away, so he then found his way into the medicine storeroom at the back of the clinic, and grabbed the pain killers and a syringe.

After injecting the teen with some pain killers, the painful sounds from the teen stopped, and he slept quietly, every now and then moaning something that wasn't audible till the taichou was wrapped back up in the sleeping bag.

" **Ungh…Tou…shiro…"**

"…**Yes, Kurosaki?"**

There was no answer, other than the sound of Ichigo's breathing. Obviously, he was having a dream, with the taichou in it, like the dream Hitsugaya had, because he also uttered a few other names like,

"…**Zangetsu…?"**

"…**Yuzu…"**

"…**Karin…"**

"…**Dad…"**

"…**Rukia…?"**

And the next name surprised the taichou the most out of all of them, besides his first name:

"…**Mom…"**

During his sleep, the teen also spoke in broken or full sentences like,

" **Zangetsu…what are you doing…?"**

"**Yuzu…Karin…no…"**

"**Dad…where…?"**

"…**Mom…please…don't leave me…Mom…."**

" **Toushiro…what's…going on…why's everyone…leaving me…?"**

"**Please…don't…Rukia…don't…stop it…really…it's not funny…"**

" **No, Mom! No…"**

"**Zangetsu, Rukia…stop killing…everyone…"**

"**Run, Toushiro…run! Hurry…they'll get…you…too…!"**

Hitsugaya was surprised by the sudden outbursts from Ichigo, almost so much, he almost got up and placed an hand on the teen shoulder. Almost. Suddenly, the teen let out a few more outbursts, almost as if his mother's death was being replayed over again.

" **NO…Mom…don't die…please…MOM!"**

" **Why…why do I…always…have to…"**

"**Someone…help me…my mom…she's bleeding…help her…"**

" **Mom…not you…anyone but you…"**

"**You're lying!…Zangetsu…I didn't…I didn't kill my…mom…"**

" **Rukia…everyone…stop it…stop blaming…me…"**

"…**I tried…I tried, dad…I couldn't…I couldn't…"**

" **Yuzu…Karin…don't…don't cry…Ungh…no…"**

" **Toushiro…where'd you…go? I thought…I thought we…were friends…Don't…leave me…Toushiro…don't leave…please…"**

It was then Ichigo let out a sob, and Hitsugaya couldn't help but to get up and place a hand on his shoulder and try to wake Ichigo up from the nightmare. He saw tears running down the teen's pained face, and knew that he was feeling pain. Not just physical pain. Emotional and mental pain. Pain in his heart. Hitsugaya shook the teen, in an effort to wake him up, and after continually shaking him, the teen woke up, mid sentence.

" **Toushiro…no…please…not you…too…huh? Toushiro!?"**

" **Are you okay? You were talking in your sleep. And crying."**

"**When did you get back? And I'm fine."**

" **Not long ago. You sure you're okay? No real danger or anything?"**

" **No," **Ichigo reached a hand to touch where there had once been a wound on his forehead, **" hey?! Where'd it go? Did Inoue come?"**

"**No. I healed you."**

"**Thanks, Toushiro. Looks like you're okay, too. "**

"**You're welcome, Kurosaki. "**

" **Good night…I'm getting back to sleep."**

"**Yeah. Good night."**

That was one hell of a nightmare…I'll have to ask Toushiro what I was saying while I was sleeping tomorrow, Ichigo thought, just before he yet again slipped into slumber. Hitsugaya lid back down into the sleeping bag and fell asleep, wondering why the teen had been mentioning him in his sleep. Maybe the teen felt the same way about him as the taichou felt about the teen?


	9. Melancholy

That morning, Ichigo woke up first and looked at the calendar on his wall; and realised what day it was. He stood up, careful not to step on Hitsugaya, and woke up the taichou, who gained an annoyed look on his face. Ichigo kept his face melancholic and told the taichou that there was a custom that his family had that took place on that day. Ichigo then got dressed, knowing that the taichou probably wouldn't care, and Hitsugaya also dressed in the clothing that he had set beside his makeshift bed on the floor. Questions clouded his mind like, " Does this custom have anything to do with what he was saying in his sleep last night?" or " Or is it something that they all enjoy? "

Hitsugaya cast away the second thought telling himself within his mind that Ichigo wouldn't have had that depressed face if it was something he enjoyed, like a dinner or a trip to somewhere enjoyable.

The whole clan plus the guest were all ready to go, when Ichigo felt a sudden pain in his back, but kept it to himself. Hitsugaya could sense Ichigo's discomfort in his reiatsu, but didn't ask about it. The family and guest all walked toward the river, where they then turned, and after a long 30 minutes, they finally arrived to a sad looking graveyard, where they all stopped in front of a grave that read in kanji,

MASAKI KUROSAKI

Loving mother and wife

Yuzu and Isshin knelt down, the other three standing. Yuzu started crying, along with Isshin, and Karin dropped her sceptical attitude and also gained a sad expression, remaining silent. After a while, Ichigo knelt down too, but felt his back smart a little. His eye twitched ever so slightly in pain, but didn't show and other signs of discomfort, not counting his reiatsu. Hitsugaya and Karin stood, not moving, and not talking. Hitsugaya directed his attention to Ichigo, who appeared to be whispering something to his dad, who nodded, and after a long time, decided to take Karin and Yuzu home, despite Yuzu's protests. Ichigo and Hitsugaya stayed behind, and Hitsugaya didn't really understand why the teen stayed.

" **What did you tell your father?"**

" **I told him that I wanted to spend some time alone here with you so he left with my sisters."**

Hitsugaya still didn't understand, but when Ichigo spoke once more, he felt a tug at his shoulder and was pulled over, down beside the teen.

" **Mom…I want to introduce a friend of mine to you. I know you want me to be happy more than anything, and I am. This is Hitsugaya Toushiro, and he might not seem like much, but he can be pretty rough around the edges, but he's a genius, and he's also a lot better than me at protecting the people he cares about, and is pretty sensitive when it comes to what people call him, and about his obvious height impaired self, but he's a good person, and I'm glad to have him as a friend, even if he can be a little cold and harsh."**

Hitsugaya felt a wave of uncomforting warm reach his face, and knew that he was blushing. He could feel the blood rush to his face, and he didn't know what to say.

" **Cat got your tongue, Toushiro?"** Ichigo chided playfully, and nudged the taichou.

" **Erm…Hello, Masaki, like Ichigo said, "**Said teen raised his eyebrow at the unexpected way the taichou had called him, **" I'm Hitsugaya Toushiro, and I think that your son, Ichigo Kurosaki, is a real idiot, that every now and then gets himself into more trouble than he bargained for, but he's a real friend. He tries to protect all those that he knows and those that he doesn't, and though he can be a real jerk most of the time, it's a pleasure to have him around, even if I don't want him near me. He's loyal and faithful, and has a strange way of making friends, but he's got a good head on those shoulders, he just doesn't use it sometimes."**

Now it was Ichigo's turn to feel the blush, and he smiled, running his fingers through Hitsugaya's hair and messing it up while doing so, getting a glare from the taichou while doing so didn't make him stop. It didn't take long for the taichou to get used to it, and he realised that he was actually starting to like it. The blush turned darker and his face grew hotter. Ichigo grinned and then stopped messing up the prodigy's hair, and said his good byes to his long-dead mother, Hitsugaya doing the same and getting up, following Ichigo who had already stood up. Then Ichigo began trying to fix up the taichou's hair. Hitsugaya smacked away the teen's hand and began walking ahead, trying to ignore the teen's protests.

" **Hey, Toushiro, wait up! Hey, why didn't you smack away my hand earlier, huh?" **He chided again.

The blush got redder, but Hitsugaya acted as if he didn't hear the teen. Ichigo ran to catch up with him, and saw the blush. He smiled and asked,

" **Hey, Toushiro, why are you blushing?"**

"**I'm not."**

"**Yeah, you are. Don't deny it!"**

" **I'm not, I'm angry with you."**

"**Uh-huh. Right. Being coy doesn't work for you, idiot. I told you that before. "**

" **And you shouldn't be talking, Kurosaki! You were talking about me in your sleep, baka."**

" **What'd I say?"**

"**Something about you not wanting me to leave you and about running away before I get killed, or something. Then you asked me why everyone was leaving you."**

Ichigo blushed and tried to counter, but couldn't find something to use till he remembered yesterday's events.

" **Why did you come to rescue me alone? Why did you heal me? Why did you ki--"**

" **Don't even. I only did all of that because…because…well, the others would've had to make an excuse to explain my absence, and our friends forgot completely about you. And I healed you because…I didn't want your moaning to ruin my sleep. And I did **_**that**_** because I know you would have liked it more than your inner hollow would have, and if you had kicked me off than I would've known that it was too late to help you. "**

" **Sou ka…but how would you have know that I would've liked it?"**

" **Remember that day you saw me take off my shirt?"** Hitsugaya chided, grinning at Ichigo with a tease in his eye and voice.

"**Oh…you…knew about…that?"**

Hitsugaya nodded, the smile growing wider and he laughed a little. Ichigo blinked a few times in shock, and smiled back.

" **Looks like I should have stayed quieter, eh?"**

"**Maybe. Or maybe you shouldn't make it so obvious. Next time you want to peek at someone, make sure they aren't facing you, idiot."**

" **Hehe…okay…well, uh, you were talking about me in a dream."**

"**When?"**

"**The second night you were here. You were saying something about Kusaka and me. "**

Then Hitsugaya remembered the dream. He them pushed it away to the back of his mind. So what? Who cared if the idiot was in one dream? It wasn't like the dream made much sense anyways, right? Hitsugaya rolled his eyes, and continued walking, not commenting on it.

" **Hey, Kurosaki."**

"**Yeah, Toushiro?"**

"**Isn't today supposed to be a sad day? For you?"**

" **Sort of. My mom would want me happy, no feeling sorry for myself."**

"**So your idea of being happy is teasing me?"**

"**No. My idea of being happy is hanging out with my friends."**

"**So why don't you go do that?"**

"**I can't."**

"**Why?"**

"**You have to come. I can't leave you all alone at home."**

"**Isn't your dad home? With your sisters?"**

"**No, every year my dad spends this day trying to make them happy, just so our mom can rest in peace, knowing that we're being happy, even if for just one day. Unfortunately, my other friends don't get that concept, so I'm hanging out with you. "**

"**Nani? What if I have to send a report to Seretei?"**

" **Then I'll wait for you to be done the report."**

" **I can tell you want something from me. "**

" **What could I possibly want from you? "**

" **Oh, I don't know, maybe another one?"**

" **Another what?"**

" **You get what I mean, Kurosaki."**

"**No, I don't."**

"**You just want me to admit it."**

"**Admit what?"**

"**That I…"**

"'_**That you…'**_** what?"**

" **That I kissed you."**

"**No, but thanks for admitting it."**

" **Want another one, too, huh?"**

"**Maybe I do, maybe I don't."**

"**Teme."**

"**I'm not that mean, Toushiro. I just want to go to the mall."**

Twitch one.

" **The mall?"**

"**Yeah. And maybe meet up with some of my friends. You know, Chad, Mizuro, and Keigo? "**

Twitch two.

" **And maybe go and buy you some new clothes. Don't worry, I'm not like Rangiku. I've got a better taste in guy clothing."**

Twitch three.

"**DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT I'D GO SHOPPING WITH YOU? I'D RATHER SPEND A WHOLE DAY DOING PAPERWORK OR PRACTISING MY HEALING SPELLS!"**

"**You sure?"**

"**Yes."**

"**Awww. Because I was thinking on getting you some Watermelon."**

Watermelon. Ichigo knew by the look on Hitsugaya's face that he'd go.

" **Fine, you win, Kurosaki."**

Score. Ichigo felt like he had won a trophy that was only handed out every 100,000 years.


	10. Mall

_Ichigo then lead the way to the mall, Hitsugaya close behind. About 30 minutes later, they were at the mall, and saw Rangiku, Yumichika, and Orihime all together, giggling. Rangiku saw the two first, and laughed when she saw that Ichigo was holding onto Hitsugaya's sleeve like he was a younger brother. _

"_Enjoying the mall, Taichou? This is where people come when they don't have work to do."_

" **I thought I left a pile of paperwork on your desk back in the office."**

" _Oh, that? I go it all done!"_

"**Good. Then when I return, all of my paperwork should be done. ALL of it."**

" _I'm making sure of it!"_

Hitsugaya had a bad feeling about her tone. He didn't trust what she just said. Not one bit.

"**Hey, Yumichika, Rangiku, what are you guys still doing here?" **Asked Ichigo, trying to change the subject.

" _Can't we relax like Taichou is?"_

"**He's not relaxing, if that's what you think. I had to bribe him. But hey, enough about us, why are you guys here?"**

" _We're just um…hanging out. Hehe." _Orihime reassured Ichigo. Suddenly, Hitsugaya saw a cut on Orihime's arm that looked like it didn't heal properly. Ichigo noticed the wound, too.

" **Oi, Orihime, where'd you get that cut?"**

"_Umm…I accidentally cut myself while making dinner last night!" _

Hitsugaya knew she was lying. He glared at it, not talking, letting his face tell everyone that looked at it that he was suspecting foul play. Something must have wounded her and she might not have known what it was or mistook it for a cutting knife. There was a strong reiatsu around it, as if the person who inflicted it cast a spell upon it to keep it from healing.

" **Inoue…a cutting knife did not do this…a cutting knife doesn't have a reiatsu. What actually happened?" **Hitsugaya asked, not concerned for Inoue, but concerned for the possible new enemy they might have to face.

"_Umm…we can't discuss it in public. I'll tell you all later. See ya! I gotta get some groceries! Yumichika, Rangiku, come on!"_

" **Wait, Ori…hime." **Ichigo almost ran after her, but Hitsugaya grabbed his wrist and pulled him back. Ichigo looked at the taichou, who shook his head.

" **Inoue will tell us later. Right now, don't you have friends you're supposed to meet? "**

" **No…I was only using them as an example. Chad hardly ever comes here, and Mizuro and Keigo are probably too busy looking at girls to even notice us."**

" **So what do you plan on doing here, Kurosaki?"**

" **Probably get you something better to wear than what you have now, Toushiro."**

Then Hitsugaya let go of the teen's wrist, and folded his arms over his chest, his signature stance in the human world. The two then walked to the nearest clothing store.

------------------------------------

"**What size are you in shirts?"**

" **How am I supposed to know? Urahara-san always gets me clothing before-hand!"**

"**And you've never checked?"**

"**No, why would I have to? I never go shopping."**

"**Let me check then. "**

"**GAH?! What are you doing? TEME!"**

"**I'm trying to check to see what size you are, idiot."**

" **It feels like you're trying to take off my shirt, teme."**

"**Well excuse me, but I don't want to mess up your hair there, Toushiro. I don't want to make you **_**angry**_** again."**

"**Humph."**

After a long hour of searching for clothing that didn't make Hitsugaya stand out too much, the two had finally picked out a black shirt, like the one Ichigo was currently wearing, only with a logo at the bottom, and dark blue jeans. Hitsugaya paid for the clothing, since Soul Society currency was the same as Japan currency. The two then went to the washroom, and Hitsugaya changed in one of the stalls, and placed his old clothes in the shopping bag. The two then just walked around the mall, Ichigo trying to keep the everlasting silence at bay.

" **So what do you feel like doing, Toushiro?"**

"…"

" **I know why you aren't answering me. You want the watermelon, huh? Don't worry. I'll buy it when we get to the nearest grocery store."**

Over at one of the stores, Matsumoto began talking about how Ichigo had been grasping Hitsugaya's sleeve. Orihime couldn't help but wonder what was going on between the two guys. Something she wasn't aware of, of course. Yumichika just smiled and tried to picture those two holding hands. It was followed by him smashing his head against the nearest table, screaming,

" _GET IT OUT OF MY HEAD!"_

" _Get what out of your head?"_

"_The picture! Your Taichou and Ichigo holding hands! MY HEAD!"_

"_Okay…that's a ten on the mental scarrage chart…"_

"_Please don't do that, Yumichika-san. You're embarrassing us. And yourself."_

It was then that Orihime's Female Intuition kicked in(if she has any…), and she began to wonder if there really was something more than just a simple friendship between the taichou and the teen.

"_What if they actually like each other?"_

"_What'd you say?"_

"_NANI?!" _Screamed Yumichika again, only to be whacked in the head with a 10.5 lb fruit salad, package and all, courtesy of Rangiku.

" _I mean look at it, I heard from Rukia and Renji a few nights ago that Toushiro-kun went alone to go save Ichigo-kun alone."_

"_WHAT? I didn't think he would do that!"_

"…_Ooww…"_

At the nearest grocery store, Ichigo bought a large pack of watermelon slices and soon enough, the two were in the food court and Hitsugaya was eating the slices in a record time of ten seconds. Ichigo took one and received a glare from the prodigy.

" **Chill out, Toushiro. I bought them. All I want is one."**

"**Hmmm…"**

The silver haired taichou nodded, and went back to eating. Ichigo grinned and saw the large mess the taichou was making. He then grabbed a few napkins from the dispenser beside him and held them out to the boy. Hitsugaya nodded in thanks, took the napkins and began wiping his face and the table.

After they had both finished the watermelon(or in better words, Hitsugaya finished the watermelon, and Ichigo ate his one slice), Ichigo let Hitsugaya lead the way around the mall and asked him where he wanted to go.

"**Thanks for the watermelon, and it doesn't matter to me. "**

"**How about we try to find the others? "**

"**No, that wouldn't be a good idea."**

"**Why, Toushiro?"**

"**I can't trust Matsumoto. At least, not now. If she sees us still walking around together, she might spread rumours."**

"**And I care…why? If I cared about what people thought of me, I'd have dyed my hair black long ago."**

"**No, she has a way to get her opinion around. And she doesn't take no as an answer when it comes to that."**

"**But we're just two guys that are friends hanging out at the mall. No harm in that, right?"**

"**Yeah, I know, but she has a strange way of seeing things."**

Ichigo shuddered, and then decided against arguing with the taichou, knowing that the boy had way more experience on dealing with Rangiku than he. A lot more experience. And he still couldn't handle her. Hitsugaya then deemed conversation trivial, and began to walk off. Ichigo reached out to grab his shoulder, but instead, caught the taichou's hand on the way back to his side, and notcied that some people were staring at them. Including Orihime, Yumichika and Matsumoto. Both of the guys reddened, and Ichigo saw Hitsugaya turn around, blushing furiously.

"**Kuro. Saki. Ich. igo. "**Hitsugaya was so surprised that he could only speak in halves. This wasn't good. Ichigo smiled nervously, and seriously considered saying that he hadn't grabbed the taichou hand and blaming it on some poor sap that was walking by, minding his own business.

" **Sorry…Toushiro…honest mistake…"**

Matsumoto gained a large smile, and began devising a plan to get those two together, not just to like each other. But she didn't know was that those two had already discovered their feelings for the other.

" **Will you please let go of me?"**

"…**Oh, yeah, sorry Toushiro…again."**


	11. Hot

It was a few days after the embarrassment at the mall, and Hitsugaya was feeling exceptionally grumpy, for it was beyond warm in the Kurosaki house, not counting Ichigo's room. It was boiling in the teen's room, and the taichou didn't know how to work an air conditioner, as simple as the machine was, it just didn't turn on. His reiatsu wasn't much help, the heat in the room would melt the coldness that the reiatsu sent around. The ice that he had put on the back of his neck had melted almost instantly. The prodigy didn't know what the teen was doing downstairs, but the last he had heard of him was,

" **I'm gonna go down and get a drink for us."**

"**Feh. A drink. More like washing the dishes or waiting for his hair to grow. " **Hitsugaya growled disdainfully, glaring at the closed door. He then turned his head to the window, and glared at the sun with as much malice as he could muster. He didn't hate hot weather. He abhorred it, more than his vertical disadvantage and Ichigo's habit of calling him by his first name, and Hinamori's usage of the name 'Shiro-chan' all mashed together. And to him, that was a lot of abhorring.

After a good long five minutes more of waiting, Ichigo came through the door, and to his surprise and amusement, found a sweaty taichou, once again, not only annoyed and hot, but with his button-up t-shirt open.

" **What's wrong, Toushiro? Too hot? Why didn't you turn on the air conditioner?"**

"**Teme…how would I know how to turn on that thing?"**

"**You just open this,"** Ichigo said, grinning. He opened a slightly hidden 'door' in the side, **"And flick the switch."** He then turned it on, and cool air began circulating around the room as soon as the air conditioner began it's _whirring _sound.

" **You were trying to kill me, weren't you?"**

"**No, what would I gain from killing an innocent child who doesn't know how to turn on the air conditioner."**

_Twitch. Twitch. Twitch._ Wait for it…

" **Kurosaki, do you realise that I have probably had about 6 times more birthdays than you have?"**

"**Yeah, but how's that relevant to what I'm trying to say? You're short and even though you hate agreeing with me, you know it's true. You're just in permanent denial. And because of that little weakness, I still call myself older than you, because you still have the physical appearance of a thirteen year old…**_**Toushiro**_**. "**

Now.

"**Kurosaki?! Do you have any idea to whom exactly you're talking like that to? You should have more respect, because I'd gladly punish you right now for your blatant disregard of my position as a Seretei Taichou, but I have not been assigned to spend my time here setting you straight, but instead, trying to help you face these Arrancar and Espada that would gladly kill you if it were for their Lord Aizen's good. And one thing I'd like to point out is that you have the mindset of a five -year old child when it is lost in a supermarket."**

Ichigo laughed. He couldn't help it; all of this had started from the fact that Ichigo wanted to see what would happen if he had stayed downstairs for a while and left the air conditioner off in his room, with Toushiro in the same room. He knew that the taichou was pretty irritable, but in hot weather, if you got him fired up like he was now, you were basically screwed.

Not only that, but Ichigo thought Hitsugaya was sort of cute when irritated.

" **Kurosaki, I don't find anything funny about this."**

"**Oh, no, it's just, I just thought that-"**

_Beep. Beep._

"**Hunh? My Soul Pager?"**

"**What is it Toushiro?"**

Hitsugaya reached inside his pocket and pulled out the phone-shaped pager and looked at the screen, in awe.

"**There's an unexplained presence near Inoue's! It might be the same thing that cut her arm. Hurry!"**

Not too long ago, about last night, Inoue had told the Shinigami about the cut on her arm. She said that a large hollow-like beast had clawed at her, and her Shun-Shun-Rika didn't have the power to protect her or fend off the wound. It had been hurting her ever since. Ichigo remembered this, and gained a sick-to-the-stomach feeling. But putting aside the horrible feeling, he grabbed his gikongan, Kon, and swallowed one of the pills and met Hitsugaya on his roof, whom of which had been waiting for him, already in spirit form.

"**Let's go. And Kurosaki, try to keep your reiatsu hidden."**

Ichigo suddenly realised that there was an absence of Hitsugaya's reiatsu, and it had begun to snow. Maybe that was the cause of the feeling. He was so used to having the icy taichou's reiatsu, when it had been contracted and formed into snowflakes, he got a bad feeling because he couldn't find it. But snowflakes on a hot day like today? No wonder the taichou hated this weather; it looked suspicious whenever it snowed in the middle of summer. But that soon changed, for the snowflakes melted instantly, and became raindrops.

The two then began to run toward Inoue's house. There was a scream and a crash. Ichigo ran quicker, wanting to get there before it was too late. Hitsugaya understood his feelings, and allowed the teen to run ahead. Suddenly, he realised that Matsumoto and Yumichika had gone back to Seretei. His eye widened in alarm, and then he yelled at the teen,

"**We have to hurry! Matsumoto and ****Ayasegawa aren't in Karakura anymore!"**

"**What about Rukia and Renji?!"**

"**They left too. Last night, remember?"**

"**KUSO! Orihime! "**

And at that moment, the two reached Orihime's apartment. The creature was exactly like the creatures that kept Ichigo captive, white body, black mask, and savage eyes. Hitsugaya would not let those eyes bother him anymore, and took his stance. Ichigo saw blood. Blood on the creature's claws. Blood on Orihime. He was too late. He didn't protect her from injury.

"**Kurosaki! Stay focused! You have to fight the hollow; I'll take care of Inoue! Even if we didn't arrive in time to save her from injury, we can save her from death if you can cooperate!"**

Ichigo nodded, and faced the beast. He then shot a _Getsuga Tenshou_ at it, slicing at it's mask, but surprisingly, the mask was still intact. Hitsugaya observed Orihime wounds, and realised that her Shun-Shun-Rika couldn't heal it because it wasn't the normal injury. It wasn't a cut, it was if something had carved into her skin and flesh. Studying it from a closer angle, her realised that it was her flesh. Somehow, the hollow/beast had sliced off her skin and put some barrier on it so it wouldn't heal, like what some leeches do. The pain was from the dirt and heat from the air that was touching it. Her other injuries were the same as that older one, and he noticed from her slight writhing that there was a problem; those claws were injecting venom. He looked at the beast, and noticed that Ichigo was getting quite a beating. His sclera wasn't turning, which in this circumstance, wasn't good.

" **KUROSAKI! LET YOUR HOLLOW OUT! QUICKLY! THIS THING--"**

Hitsugaya couldn't finish his sentence before the creature sliced at his head, injuring his face and knocking him out. Ichigo saw this, and growled. First Inoue, and now this _**thing**_ had the gall to attack Toushiro too?! Something overcame Toushiro, to yell out like that. Something bad. Ichigo glared at the monster, eyes filled with malice and anger. His sclera began to be shrouded with black, and his iris' turned golden.

No more Mr. Nice Guy Ichigo Kurosaki. It was personal.


	12. Circumstance

"**Oooh, lookie here! Looks like I got lucky, eh? Really lucky. King chose a strong-looking buddy fer me!"**

_The creature snorted and attacked the mask wearer with an outstretched claw. Ichigo's inner hollow manoeuvred out of the way, and sliced the creature's arm off, smiling behind the mask as the creature screamed in agony. He then began to play around with the beast, making it dizzy or tired, before finally declaring it no fun, and killing it._

Ichigo then forced off the hollow mask, the hollow not complaining or sulking. The teen then ran over to the two that were faintd on the ground. He shook Toushiro first, and then Orihime. Orihime woke up and smiled. She thanked him, and then he suggested for her to go to the Urahara Shoten, to get her wounds checked out. Orihime then ran off to go visit Urahara and his workers. Ichigo looked at Hitsugaya and picked up the small taichou. He liked how the taichou fit in his arms, almost neatly, as if the prodigy was made for his arms. Ichigo smiled at the thought, and took a closer look at the small wounds. Normally, hey would have scabbed over, but they were bare. Flesh could be seen.

" **Was that what you were trying to tell me, Toushiro? That the wounds didn't heal properly? Looks like I should take you to Urahara, too."**

"**Uhng…"**

"**Toushiro? Can you hear me?"**

"…"

" **Don't worry. Urahara might help you out with those wounds on your head."**

Ichigo couldn't help but raise the taichou up near his face and snuggle his face into the soft white hair. Hitsugaya smelled like sweat, but he also smelt like cold air. Cold, frosty air. Ichigo smiled. Typical Toushiro.

He then jumped out the window and walked to the Urahara Shoten. He was in no hurry; he wanted to savour those minutes of peace with his taichou in his arms. Even if the taichou wouldn't admit it, Ichigo knew that he liked him. It was obvious.

Matsumoto, and Yumichika smiled. They had planned this quite nicely. But the woman couldn't help but feel sorry for Orihime. She took a few pictures and Yumichika felt as if he would hurl. But he couldn't deny that the two looked…sort of cute like that. But Hitsugaya…falling for Ichigo? It was impossible for him to even confess he liked Momo, let alone Ichigo. But maybe Hitsugaya really _didn't _like Momo. Then that would make sense. But the ice cold, clam and collected taichou and the laid-back, headstrong and reckless substitute together? He almost couldn't fathom it. Almost.

Ichigo was completely oblivious to the Shinigami in the bushes, and continued walking, clearly enjoying the walk. But when the taichou began to come to, Ichigo began to run and performed a Shunpo to the Shoten.

"_Ahh, Kurosaki-kun! There you are! Orihime-chan told me that you'd be coming with Hitsugaya taichou." _Urahara grinned at the sight.

"**Yeah, he's here. The hollow knocked him in the head pretty hard; he's passed out. And his wounds-"**

"_They don't heal properly, right? Well, if Orihime-chan can't heal her wounds, then it's safe to say that the thing that attacked is no ordinary enemy, eh, Kurosaki-kun?" _

"**Yeah, but do you have some antidote or something to get him to come to or something? He was about to tell me something. He sounded a little frantic. "**

"_Maybe…I'll have to check. Yoruichi-san, could you stay out here and keep Kurosaki-kun, Orihime-chan and Hitsugaya-taichou out of trouble for a second?"_

"_Alright, Urahara. But are you sure you shouldn't take a closer look at the wounds, just in case you do have the antidote to them?"_

" _I'm looking for that too. Don't worry."_ Urahara reached down and pet the black cat that walked through the back sliding door and heard a purr. He smiled down at the yellow eyed feline and walked into the storeroom.

"_We should try and figure out who, or what, exactly did this." _Ichigo instantly sat down and placed the taichou in front of him, listening to Yoruichi.

"_Yeah. Maybe it was an alien or something! You know, or a--"_

"**Inoue…you have an imagination too big for that head of yours." **Ichigo said, grinning ever so slightly. **"Maybe it was some form of hollow…"**

"_That's a possibility, Ichigo. A new breed of hollow or a strange new enemy."_

"**Either way…they're dangerous…" **Ichigo said, looking down at the taichou in front of him,** "I wonder what Toushiro was going to say…"**

"_It's Hitsugaya-taichou, Kurosaki-kun. Didn't he tell you that before?"_

Ichigo felt something hard hit him on the head, and he looked up and saw a smiling Urahara, and the cane that acted as the sheath for Benihime, Urahara's Zanpaku-to, in his hand. Ichigo glared, with no malice, at the blonde man, whose expression then changed to a more serious one, as he recalled why he had come out of the depths of the storage room.

"_I couldn't find an antidote, and I couldn't find what Hitsugaya-taichou needs. But I don't think he'll need it anymore."_

"**Huh? What do you mean?"**

"**Ungh…where am I? Kuro…saki?"**

"_See now?"_

"_Toushiro-kun! You're okay!"_

"**Sou ka. Toushiro, what was that you were about to tell me in such a rush?"**

"**Nani? Oh! The thing you were fighting had venom stored in it's claws, and that it should be defeated immediately before it causes anymore harm."**

"**Venom? Like poison?"**

Hitsugaya nodded his head and stood up and unhooked Hyourinmaru, and placed it in front of him before sitting down cross legged.

"_I feared as much. That's one of the reasons Orihime's arm has been hurting so bad. But I wasn't sure, but thanks to Hitsugaya-taichou's observation, I can make an antidote. "_

"**Wait, how long will it take?"** Ichigo asked, on edge. He didn't want his friends to suffer, especially if they couldn't have injuries ailing them in any way.

"_I do believe it may take a few days at the least, two weeks at the most. "_

"**But what about Toushiro?! What if he's got to fight something that'll take advantage of his injuries? What'll happen then? He's a taichou, he can't be put aside by injuries! " **Ichigo blurted out, before he could stop his emoticons get the better of him.

"**I'm glad to see that you're showing so much interest in my wellfare, Kurosaki, but that's how it is. You're lucky Urahara is doing this, so if I were you, I'd keep my mouth shut and wait. This could mean life or death for others that might have to deal with this too."**

Urahara laughed and glanced at Ichigo, who seemed a little embarrassed to be talked down to by someone that was vertically challenged. But even so, the substitute stayed quiet.

"_Don't worry, Kurosaki-kun. I'm sure Hitsugaya-taichou can handle this. He's been in worse situations. And you should worry more about Inoue and yourself. That hollow of yours has been taking control of you more easily now than ever, and will continue to do so if you don't stop letting your weaknesses show themselves. An if you let your wounds from this battle ail you, I'm afraid the hollow will strike the chance to break out. So you'd better be more careful."_

"…" Ichigo was clearly getting tired of being lectured by people he normally didn't listen to, but he had no choice but to listen. Right now, they were his voice of reason, and they had a lot more experience than he.

"…**Alright…Inoue, Toushiro, let's go."**

"_Wait, Kurosaki-kun, I need to analyse the components of the venom, so they might have to stay over here tonight."_

"**Nani? Alright then. Orihime, are you gonna be alright? You don't look so well."**

"_I'm fine! I'm just a little tired! "_

"**Okay, then…"**

"_They'll be safe here, Ichigo. You can leave. If there's anything you need from them, just come and ask."_

"**Bye. And thanks, Urahara."**

"_No trouble…none at all. They'll be alright here. Don't worry. Inoue, Hitsugaya-taichou, could you both follow me into the testing room so we can have a look at you both?"_

Ichigo then walked out of the Shoten and jumped roof-to-roof home, Urahara's voice fading into the distance. But Ichigo had a feeling that it wasn't alright. Not right at all.

At his house, he changed into his body, and saw Hitsugaya's gigai just sitting there, lifeless. Even with the gigai there with him, Ichigo felt alone. Extremely alone. He was used to Hitsugaya's reiatsu in the room, even if his room still had it, the reiatsu was fading. Ichigo didn't want to think of what he'd do when the taichou left his house for the Seretei when his mission was over, or when he was called back. The teen lid down in his bed and stared up at the ceiling. After an hour or so of silence, the teen finally drifted off.


	13. Dye the White Red

That morning, the sound of a ringing Soul Pager took the place of Ichigo's alarm clock and woke him up. Groggily, the teen got out of his bed and dug his hands into the pockets of the gigai on floor next to him. He grasped hold onto the cell-phone like device and flipped it up, and realised that someone had sent the taichou a message. He looked through the New Messages, and found it. Opening the file, he smiled. It was from Matsumoto-fukutaichou, and he could barely make it out.

"_I thought that I told u, taichou, that b4 u leave, u have 2 make sure u have everything. But u didn't. And I knew that u didn't take ur hair gel. I know u taichou, but sumtimes u can be a pain cause u forget lots of things. Meet u the park, k? _

_Ur extra special Fukutaichou"_

Ichigo had a problem with reading chat speak, and his brain began to pound after a few sentences. He smiled. Typical Rangiku, always keeping up with all the trends, even if the trends ruined your grammar or sense of style. He then closed the pager and laughed. Hair Gel? All Ichigo had to do was spike it with his fingers when he had a shower or when his hair got wet or sweaty. But Toushiro, heh, he had to bring hair gel. The poor kid; it must take hours to make his hair that way. But did he only use it after washing? Ichigo didn't want to ask, fearing a cryogenic state if he told the irritable taichou that he had poked his nose into his personal business.

"_Ichi-nii! Toushiro-kun! Breakfast!"_

Uh oh. Toushiro wasn't there, unless Ichigo used Kon on the gigai. But would it work? Ichigo wasn't sure, and he didn't want to try it out. Looks like he'd have to make something up, and fast. The teen opened his door and walked down the stairs. He hoped that Toushiro would pay him back for covering for him. Right now, even a 'thanks' would be an acceptable payment, considering how quiet the taichou was.

" _Good morning Ichigo!"_

"**Good morning Yuzu, Karin, Dad."**

"_Hey, Ichigo, " _Karin said, relaxed on one of the chairs, _"where's Toushiro?"_

"**Well, uh, you see…"**

------------------

At the Urahara Shoten, the prodigy woke up with a startle; he sneezed. A young red-head had decided to sweep some dust at the taichou's face, causing him to sneeze and wake up. The red-head that reminded the taichou of a certain headstrong pineapple head frowned and kneeled down, looking at the confused and irked silver hair and told him that breakfast was ready and that Urahara wanted him. The redhead left the room, and the taichou got into his haori and shihakushou and strapped Hyourinmaru to his back. The silver hair walked out of the small room and right into Urahara. There was a smile plastered on the man's face, which unnerved the young taichou, and suddenly, the man spoke, his voice cheerful and bubbly,

"_Ah! Hitsugaya-taichou! Follow me."_

The two then walked down into the basement, where they then stepped down the ladder into the training hollow underneath the Urahara Shoten, and possibly all of Karakura. But to his surprise, there was a gateway open, that lead to a place that the prodigy wasn't sure of, but he suspected Hueco Mundo, for he had heard that the old shopkeeper had means of getting into the realm of the hollow, aka Aizen's self-proclaimed kingdom. The taichou then felt something appear under his nose, that apparently was a pill.

"_This'll make the poison at bay; at least for now, till I can make one that isn't temporary. "_

"…**Thanks…?"**

The taichou swallowed it, and soon enough felt drowsy and exhausted. His fatigue showed in his actions and eyes, and Urahara's smile grew.

"_Don't worry; those are the side effects of using the pill. They'll go away soon. "_

Three.

Two.

One.

The taichou collapsed, and through the haze in his vision the taichou could see someone emerging from the body of Urahara; Aizen Sosuke. There was a cruel smile on his face, and he stared down at the fallen prodigy.

"**Aiz…en…teme…"** And then the taichou grew limp and his eyes dulled and finally, closed.

All that could be heard were the smile giddy giggles from Gin, whom of which used shunpo to get down the ladder. Gin then grabbed the prodigy by the collar of both his haori and the shihakushou, and began to drag him into the portal, following Aizen.

----------------------------------

Ichigo walked out of his house, sighing. He coursed his fingers through his damp hair; he had just had a shower and decided to go for a walk. But in all reality, he was going to Urahara's place to check up on Inoue, and more importantly to him, Toushiro. He still had that horrible wrenching feeling in his gut, but he continued on, and suddenly, saw something red flying through the air. He tried to grab it from here he stood, but missed, and he began to chase it, why? He wasn't sure. But there was something familiar about it. After a good twenty minutes of chasing the fabric, he finally caught it. He studied it for a short while, and realised that it was slightly damp, and more mahogany than red. And the scent of metal was thick in the air. He sniffed it, and recognised that it was the metallic smell of blood; who could have been bleeding so much as to dye this completely red with the liquid? He looked at it, and flipped it over, and came to a sudden realisation: the reason why he had been so compelled to chasing it; why he had been hell-bent on catching the fabric. The reiatsu on it, the designs on it, the insignia on it.

There was no mistaking it; the kanji on the back that stood for a number

in Japanese, the pattern on the bottom, and the reiatsu, and the feeling that he got when seeing it, and catching the cloth; it was Toushiro's haori.


	14. No Remorse Only Revenge

Grabbing a tight hold of the bloodied haori, Ichigo raced to the Urahara Shoten, and noticed that no one was there; not even Inoue. Ichigo traced Hitsugaya's reiatsu to the training hollow, and saw that the portal to Hueco Mundo was open, and noticed two other familiar reiatsu's;Gin and Aizen's . The teen gritted his teeth. Now they'd done it; screwed with his home, the Seretei, and now with Toushiro. That was it; he didn't care if it was stupid to go alone, he'd go and get the taichou back, by force if need be.

He used his Shinigami badge, and busted out of his body and ran into the portal, clutching the blood-stained haori in his left hand. After what appeared to be a few hours, he finally reached Hueco Mundo and began running in the sand, following the tracks that showed that they had left behind: blood and dragging. As the endless night trailed on, Ichigo instantly lost track of time, and realised that they could have dragged the taichou to Las Noches days ago. But still he ran onward, not letting the endless glow of crescent moon make him falter. Ho boy, he was not going to be a happy camper when he got to Las Noches. No tea and cookies for him, that was for sure.

------------------------

In the room of the Twenty Brothers, there was a screaming fest between Aizen and their newest captor. But it was a one-sided fight, for Aizen wasn't screaming. He was talking sensibly and calmly, unlike the young taichou who looked about ready to explode.

" **WHY THE HELL DID YOU DRAG ME HERE!?"**

"_Oh, of mere pleasure, and another way to get my revenge on atleast two of my greatest enemies, you see."_

"**What do you mean by that?!"**

"_Well, Ichigo already found your haori, and is currently on his way here."_

"**WHAT?! He's not that much of an idiot!"**

"_Hmmm…don't be so sure. Ulquiorra, could you show him what we mean?"_

"_Yes." _The quatro espada popped out his eyeball and crushed it, and the pieces flowed to Hitsugaya. The prodigy closed his eyes and saw Ichigo chasing the completely red haori and catching it, and running to the Urahara Shoten, clearly angry. He didn't even stop to get his friends to help. Hitsugaya was stunned and now clearly pissed. Pleasure…what kind of sick person was that man? No, Aizen couldn't have been called a man; he had just achieved a new low. Ichimaru was more human than him. The hollows had a better sense of pleasure than he ever would, and that was a fact.

But as much as the taichou insulted Aizen within his mind, nothing could take away the fact that Aizen could do whatever he wanted with him, until Kurosaki arrived, and no one would care. No one would hear his screams. Everyone in this room would be immune to it all; maybe even laugh. The taichou looked around, disgruntled and no longer calm and composed. He saw on some faces that they clearly enjoyed the fact that Aizen was finally getting payback, others had nothing but pity or grave expressions, others were either bored, or refused to show anything at all. The taichou lowered his eyes, but not in defeat. He couldn't, wouldn't show weakness. Not now, not ever.

He'd have to die 100,000,000,000 more times before he'd show any signs of weakness. At all. He growled and sent a meancing glare at Aizen, for he couldn't do much else, his Zanpaku-to was being held onto by Kaname Tousen, and his hands were tied behind his back by the first binding spell: Sai. He hated being subdued like this; unable to fight back, unable to let anyone know where he was.

Aizen then let himself a smile, and got up from his throne. He walked down to the prodigy, and grabbed him and took him to where he kept the prisioners. After a few moments, there were a few grunts and yelps, and soon, no sound escaped, and Aizen came back up, blood on his clothing and hands. The fake kind eyes didn't work anymore with the way he looked.

"_Gin, you might as well try to get him to yell a little. Maybe our other guest will hear it and come running."_

"_Ah, sure thing, boss. I'll have lots a' fun." _Gin replied, his voice bubbly and sort of happy. He then walked down the stairs to where the taichou was being stored.

-----------------------------------------------

Mean while, Ichigo had blasted through a great deal of Las Noches, and it was surprising on how it stayed standing. He was still no pleased, and his anger had no signs of wearing out. He wanted nothing more than to kill that b***t*rd, Aizen. Nothing but adrenaline and anger coursing through his veins now. And he felt his sclera turning black and his iris's turning gold, and his mask forming on his face.

By the time he finally reached Aizen, his Bankai was summoned, and his face was covered with a hollow mask.

" **AIZEN! WHERE'S TOUSHIRO!?"**

"_Oh, I don't know. Look for him."_

It was then Ichigo proceeded to shunpo up to Aizen and grasp the man's throat. Aizen blinked, and his eyes were soft, but Ichigo wasn't falling for that 'nice guy taichou' demeanor. He saw the blood on Aizen, now he wanted to know where his friend was and what Aizen had done.

"**TEME! WHERE IS HE?!"**

"_Check down…there…"_ Aizen pointed to the direction where Gin had gone down not too long ago. Ichigo let go of Aizen and ran down the stairs. Instantly, he heard a yells and screams of pain. He used a Getsuga Tenshou to get into the cell where the sounds where coming from and found Gin with his Shinsou draw and a bloody Toushiro bracing himself for the next pang of pain, but it didn't come. He looked up and saw a masked person holding his attacker against the wall, sword at his throat. But when Hitsugaya finally realised who it was, he yelled in a hoarse, sore voice,

"**IDIOT! YOU REALLY THINK THY DID THIS FOR NO REASON?! YOU FOOL! THIS IS A TRAP, KUROSAKI!"**

"**What? I'm the fool when you let yourself get caught?!"**

"**No, they tricked me! I didn't realise what was going on til it was too late, and you played right into Aizen's hand!"**

"_That's righ' . Lil' Toushiro 'ere is pretty smart fer 'is age, neh?"_

"**Then…if this is a trap…then…"**

"**He wanted revenge, and he wanted to get at least two of us involved, so he toyed with your actions and feelings. He knew you would be more reckless than I, so he get me and lured you into all of this. "**

"**TEME! I'm gonna kill him!"**

Ichigo then let Gin go and grabbed the prodigy by the collar, forgetting that he had wounds all over his body. The taichou instantly fell over and Ichigo knelt down, taking a good look at the wounds. Most were serious, others minor, but none of them were life threatening. Suddenly, studying the taichou's wounds made Ichigo even angrier. That was it. No more. He couldn't take anymore of this. Aizen was dead. He was dead the moment he dared set foot in Seretei. He was damned to hell the moment Ichigo laid eyes on him. Now, heaven help him, the sadistic retard. Ichigo carfully picked up the prodigy and despite the protests from the taichou, carried him up to the Twenty Brother's room. No more Ichigo Kurosaki, the nice guy. Now it was Ichigo Kurosaki, the Substitute Shingami that protected all good souls and defeated evil beings. Aizen was officially on his 'shit list', and was took the number one spot. Ichigo placed the taichou down, and glared with every fiber of hate in his being at Aizen, who smiled at him. That stupid smile. That fake smile. Ichigo would wipe that damned smile off Aizen's face if it killed him. Abhorring golden eyes met kind brown eyes, that quickly changed to cold, cruel brown eyes. Aizen still had that smile, but now it looked even more phoney than before. Ichigo ran at Aizen, Zangetsu unsheathed, an ignored the raging hollow inside, and let his reiatsu envelope the room. Aizen just stared back, still smiling.

-----------------------------------------------

**Oooh suspense, huh? Well, that's enough for tonight. Happy New Year's guys and I hope you had a great 2008 :D**

**Don't worry, I'm starting the next chapter tomorrow. Don't you just LOVE cliffhangers?**

**~Dark Angel Syndrome**


	15. Swang Down the Cutting Edge

Aizen quickly pulled out his sword and blocked against Ichigo, but had a problem with the power of Ichigo's reiatsu, and instead of blocking it, his sword more or less collapsed when it clashed with Zangetsu. Aizen swore loudly, loosing his calm demeanor, and slashed back, the two soon parrying each other's blows. Ichigo still had no signs of letting up, and Aizen was thinking that maybe he should get out of there, just in case Ichigo did proceed in killing him.

"_My, my, how violent children are these days. Maybe it should all stop, huh, Kurosaki-kun?"_

"**What?"**

But before Ichigo could react, Six Bars of Light were thrown at him, and he was restrained. Aizen smirked and was about to finish the teen, when Hitsugaya grabbed Hyourinmaru away from Tousen and swiped away Aizen with his shikai. He looked at Ichigo for only a second, before Aizen came back, cold, wet, and on some parts of his body, encased in ice. The man glared at the two, and smiled, Grimmjow was getting restless; watching this fight made him want to kill someone. And that person; his target, would be Ichigo. Aizen could tell Ulquiorra was ready to rip apart Hitsugaya for barging in on the fight, but would not do so unless Aizen ordered him to.

"**GETSUGA TENSHOU!"**

The black wave that had tints of red was fired and enveloped Aizen. That was when Grimmjow snapped, and ran at Ichigo, laughing like a maniac.

"_HEY, SHINIGAMI! AIZEN'S EASY COMPARED TO ME! COME AT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT!"_

Ichigo looked at Grimmjow before hearing Aizen laughing behind him, an realised that Aizen had used his sword to create a doppelganger that had absorbed the Getsuga Tenshou. He then again ran at Aizen, angry at him for running like a coward and using his sword to absorb damage and not take them like a man. Ichigo was frustrated at Aizen for being so cunning and quick; and clearly pissed for what he did to Toushiro, even if it was lure him. Ichigo whirled around, careful not to turn around the other way and accidentally hit Toushiro.

"_I SAID FIGHT ME!" _Grimmjow ran at Ichigo, but was blocked by Hitsugaya and Hyourinmaru. The espada glared down at the taichou and growled through clenched jaws,

"_Who're you, kid?"_

"**Hitsugaya Toushiro, Gotei 13 taichou of the tenth company. "**

"_Ah, a taichou-level? That's good. Grimmjow Jeagerjaques, sexta espada of Aizen's company."_

Grimmjow grabbed Hyourinmaru and thrashed the blade around, whirling Hitsugaya in figure eights till his hand began to be frozen to the blade. He let go and proceeded to punching Hitsugaya in the face, but the taichou dodged it with ease, and threw his chain at the fist, and it wrapped around the fist and arm. Hitsugaya the pilled Grimmjow closer to him and stabbed the espada in the stomach. He growled in pain, and grabbed Hitsugaya's arm. Psychopathic laughing filled the room as Hitsugaya was flung across the room and into the dark veil that shrouded the room.

Ichigo finally freed himself from the spell and ran at Aizen again, who yet again parried Ichigo's next blows with ease, but when it came to the last one, he received a deep wound in his shoulder. Blood spurted out of the wound, and when Aizen found that he was coughing up blood, angrily swiped his sword across Ichigo's face, taking off the mask and breaking it. Ichigo grunted and kicked Aizen down to the ground, and pointed Zangetsu at Aizen's throat, growling,

" **You're dead."**

But before one last Gestuga Tenshou could be sent, Grimmjow raced at Ichigo and sliced open his arm. Ichigo grunted in pain, and sent one last Getsuga Tenshou. It enveloped Grimmjow, and it sliced through the room, and when it finally passed, the room was beginning to collapse. Everyone rushed out of the room, but Gin stayed behind to help Aizen get out of there safely. Ichigo saw what he had done, and began running out when he realised that he was about to leave behind the only reason why he had came to Hueco Mundo: Toushiro. He turned around and saw Hitsugaya on the ground, coughing and wheezing. Ichigo picked the taichou up once more, and began running out, using a shunpo before a large piece of the roof fell on them.

Ichigo hen began to run home, to the Urahara Shoten. He used shunpo a few times, and finally arrived, meeting a grumpy and angry Urahara. But none the less, Hitsugaya and Inoue had been cured late last night, according to Urahara, which made Ichigo in a better mood, but he still was angry at Aizen. But right no, Hitsugaya needed more attention than his anger did. Not to mention the hollow was now angry and brooding at Ichigo for not letting him out when he had a good chance to do a lot more damage. But Ichigo told him,

"**You'd do more bad than good. I was not there to kill everyone in the room. I just wanted revenge. I wanted Toushiro to get the he** out of there. "**

"_**Humph. That shrimp, getting more attention than me from King; who does he think he is?"**_

Ichigo ignored that last comment, and found his way to Inoue's house. She didn't take too long to heal the two, and when she was done, Ichigo and Hitsugaya thanked her. The two then set off for Urahara's place again, to get Ichigo's body. When they got it, they went to Ichigo's house, and Ichigo got ready for a beating when Hitsugaya got in his gigai and they headed downstairs.

"_ICHIGO! NEVER DO THAT AGAIN!"_

"**AHHH! DAD, DON'T EVEN-"**

"_TOO LATE!"_

_**Crunch. **_

"**DAD?! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!"**

"_For scaring us, son."_

"**WHAT KIND OF SICK FATHER ATTACKS HIS SON AFTER HE COMES HOME LATE? YOU'RE INSANE!"**

"_C'MON GUYS! DINNER'S READY! QUIT FIGHTING!" _Yuzu cried. But in vain.

"_Just let them fight. I have to tell you this all the time; they fight, and one of them, usually doesn't eat. So more food for us. Be grateful." _Karin said, clearly enjoying the dinner-and-a-show.

Hitsugaya just stared, not wanting to get involved, so he backed into the wall. He couldn't help but feel a little pity for Ichigo; he'd just come from Hueco Mundo to save him, and now he was getting harassed by his dad. But the idiot deserved it, too. For being a fool and walking into Aizen's trap like a mouse after a block of cheese. And in that, Aizen was the cat.

"**Before you kill your son, I'd suggest you eat so you both can continue round two, that's if one of you doesn't become nothing but pulp. It's advised that you should eat before you beat the tar out of your son, so then you have more energy to deflect his counters." **Hitsugaya replied, not sure what side to choose for this fight. So he'd benefit them both.

Ichigo glared daggers at him[ with no malice] and turned back to his dad, who liked what the guest had said.

"_Where'd you learn that, Toushiro-kun? That's a good bit of advice, there. Round two after dinner, Ichigo."_

Isshin Kurosaki got up from his position of the giving end of a headlock. Ichigo was on the reciveing end, and said,

"**Thanks. At least I'll have time to think of a strategy."**

"_No problem, Kurosaki."_

After they ate, Ichigo ran to his room, trying to avoid his deranged dad's attacks. Hitsugaya was dragged after Ichigo when they were in the safety of Ichigo's room with the door barricaded, Hitsuaya spoke in a sarcastic voice,

"**So that was your strategy? Just run?"**

"**No. Grab you and run. But close enough."**

"**Heh. Nice. It's working for you, too. At least for now."**


	16. A Note to Viewers

**_A/N: Okay, I was getting a chapter written so then I could make up for the time I've lost; but my friend's computer hates my guts so it switched to a different page and I lost EVERYTHING, so I have to rewrite it all. So please don't kill me if it's complete crap, okay? I might not get the chapter done for a little while because I don't fee like rewriting it right now. So please be patient. I'm really sorry for the inconvenience, viewers. Really sorry. I'll try to make the rewrite good, but I can't make promises that it'll be just as good as the rest. As long as it's understandable and it seems good enough to upload, I'll put it up on here. _**

_**Sorry for the Inconvenience,  
****Dark Angel Syndrome**_


	17. Nothing But Questions With No Answers

A few days later, after both the boys were sure that they had healed, at least to the point of scabbing, they walked to Urahara's house/shop, seeking answers. When Ichigo opened the door, he came face-to-face with Yoruichi, who didn't notice him til she bumped into him, because she had been blowing a kiss at Urahara.

"_Oh! Sorry, Ichigo."_

But Hitsugaya on the other hand, well, you don't want to know. Either way, he was lucky she wasn't Matsumoto. Both he and Ichigo were lucky. Extremely lucky.

Yoruichi then watched as the taichou and the teen stepped aside, letting her pass, and the woman disappeared 'round the corner, and in her place was a black cat. Ichigo spotted orange fabric from where her stood, and shuddered; Yoruichi better not change form while he can see her fully unclothed again; his poor mind and eyes probably wouldn't take it after that first time in Seretei; or below Seretei, more like it.

"_Ah! Welcome, Kurosaki-san and Hitsugaya-taichou! What brings you here on this fine day?" _Urahara said cheerfully, flashing awide, bright smile at the boys, who didn't smile back. Urahara's expression then grew serious, realising that the taichou and the carrot top weren't here for a visit; they were here to discuss important matters.

"_Come in. You may sit down, and since you both are the guests, may I ask why exactly you have come here?"_

"**We need answers, Urahara. Badly."**

"**Urahara, Aizen appeared to me in your training room from a body that looked exactly like yours, had the exact same voice, but when he came out, it was reduced to nothing but a shiny black ball. What was it?" **Asked Hitsugaya, getting right on topic.

"_Ah, Hitsugaya-taichou, that was one of my latest inventions: the portable Gigai. I didn't think anyone besides me could use it properly, but I guess Aizen figured it out quickly and used it to decieve you, dear taichou. "_

"**Then what about that hollow that attacked Inoue and Toushiro? "**

"_I'm still pending on a response from Mayuri-san and Unohana-taichou's investigation with the victim's blood samples. Ukitake-taichou and Kyouraku-taichou are helping out, but no one is getting very far on the progress, or so says Mayuri-san on his last report from yesterday while you both were gone off in Hueco Mundo. "_

" **So many questions and no answers…"**

"**But there's something that's been bugging me. How did Aizen turn this way? I mean he wasn't always an evil jerk, right?"**

Hitsugaya and Urahara looked at each other, and Hitsugaya shook his head. Urahara then spoke, adding in what Hitsugaya didn't make clear to the teen,

" _Yes, he's always been this way, as far as I know. Even back when I was in Seretei, myself. As Yoruichi told you when you went to go save Rukia, I was also once a part of Seretei's elite Court Guard Squads, or Gotei 13, as you may wish to call it. But I was also banished for a terrible crime I did not commit. Aizen had blamed me on the Central 46, you may be familiar with them; the league of people that forced Hitsugaya-taichou and Kusaka-san to fight to the death, and before they could finish the fight, the Central 46 ordered the Mobile Corps to interfere and kill Kusaka-san, but they records show that it was Hitsugaya-taichou, not the Mobile Corps, that killed Kusaka, according to Mayuri-san's information. _

_Back to topic, that scoundrel also used his Zanpaku-to to manipulate their minds and make it seem as if I had committed the felony, and also made fake evidence to back it up. So therefore, I was banished from Seretei, but as of recently, I have become an ally with those that I have broken amends with, such as Mayuri-san and the whole of Seretei. "_

"**So all of this…is Aizen's fault? The reason you were taken out of Soul Society, the reason everyone who tried to go up against him nearly died was his fault?"**

"**No. Kurosaki, you have good reasons and intentions to blame Aizen for everything, but you must not forget, Ichimaru Gin is a genius too. He graduated from the academy after a year's worth of learning. He is also classified as a top murderer, from his childhood he has been killing others for either entertainment, or insulting his Master Aizen. And remember, Kaname Tousen also has a part in this too. Aizen manipulated his mind, and taught him darkness, and forced it upon the man's mind that this light he seeks with Aizen, is only darkness. Though it may be a path with less blood, it is not 'toward the light' as Kaname was led to believe. "**

Ichigo stared. Hitsugaya was never this talkative. Never at all. This was the most Ichigo had ever heard him say to anyone. Ichigo was rendered useless; these two geniuses had everything all figured out, knowing them. But by the looks that they gave Ichigo, the carrot top knew that they were still utterly confused about all of this. Even so, Ichigo felt stupid around them. Like a little boy in a group of old men, or adults. Outsmarted. And alone, even with these two Einstein-juniors. No, they had to be smarter than Einstein. Had to be. Einstein wasn't a Shinigami. He was long dead. Probably hollow's bait by now.

"_Perfect way to put it Hitsugaya-taichou. Couldn't have explained it better myself." _Urahara practically sang, and let himself give the two another wide smile and told them that it would be better if he did the research with the other taichou's alone, and let the boys leave in peace.

Back at Ichigo's house, Ichigo was frustrated; that conversation got them nowhere. Nowhere at all; they were lost now, and hope was draining quickly now that Aizen was getting restless after his defeat last year in the Winter War. He had left them alone for a few months, but most feared that it was only the calm after the storm, and soon, Aizen would come back with a vengeance, and try to kill them all. Ichigo walked over from his bed, picked up his guitar and tuner. Slipping out the pick that was fastened safely in the strings at the top of the neck, Ichigo tuned it, and couldn't help but stray his eyes every so while to look at Hitsugaya, who's reaction to the instrument was priceless. The prodigy couldn't help but stare; the instrument was so strange, but yet, the sound coming from the vibrating strings made him calmer. Soon, Ichigo ran the pick on all the strings, letting out a low, sad sound. He then began to strum, his fingers feeling at home prodding away at the stings along the neck. It was a emotional tune, and it seemed as if Ichigo had known this song for ages. Hitsugaya couldn't help but feel every one of those emoticons embedded into the song; sadness, despair, hurt, but also, joy, happiness, and one of them he now knew all too well; attractions. Not one note that Ichigo played didn't have any emotion stored inside. Each note was significant; and without one note, the song would have sounded off. Ichigo began also to sing softly to help ease his tension. And each line he sung had a significant meaning, like the notes he played.

"**I've always been waiting,**

**For that one day**

**When I'd be sure**

**That everything was okay.**

**But now I'm not sure**

**If that day will ever come**

**Unless we all see**

**The wrongs we've done.**

**Even though we might be smiling,**

**There are some that inside must be crying**

**Will we reach out a hand?**

**Will we teach them how to stand?**

**Do we care if they lay there**

**For the rest of their life**

**Drowning in self-pity?**

**I don't care what anyone says**

**If it's unbecoming or whatever**

**If we kids are the future**

**Like you all like to say**

**Then give a us a chance**

**To change your ways**

**To right the wrongs**

**And end the fights**

**And to bundle up the homeless**

**Warm and tight**

**Let our voices ring high;**

**Let our sprits soar;**

'**cause one day**

**We'll leave home. **

**There isn't a person in this world that doesn't care **

**About anything other than themselves**

**So if you find someone who pushes you off**

**Kicks you to the ground**

**And leaves you down**

**Write them a letter asking**

'**Where's your heart to?'**

**Don't forget that once you were us**

**Always teased, never got much trust**

**From anyone**

**One of these days**

**When you're long gone**

**You'll look down from the heavens**

**And smile at what we've done."**

Ichigo then let the song slowly fade out, and smiled at the astounded Hitsugaya, rendered speechless until,

"**Where did you learn that song from?"**

"**My dad sang it to Mom when he proposed to her. I've played and sung it on my guitar ever since, whenever I need to clear my head or are having trouble figuring things out. It's a good stress reliever, that song, and the guitar."**

"**Sou ka."**

"**Well, I'm going to go have a bath. Just wait here, Toushiro. And don't try to hit on my sisters while I'm gone."**

"**Why would I harm your sisters, Kurosaki?**

"**No, I mean 'to hit on' means to 'flirt with' or something along those lines. Don't deny that you don't like Karin. I heard about that little soccer game where you helped her out."**

"**WHY WOULD I FLIRT WITH PEOPLE YOUNGER THAN ME?! AND SINCE WHEN DID I LIKE YOUR SISTER! SHE WAS HURT AND IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO!"**

"**Uh-huh, and Kon's not perverted. Alright, I'm off."**

Ichigo walked out the door, dodging a pen that flew after him. The pen came back at the prodigy like it had cold sensors, but it stopped short of him by about three feet. Meanwhile, Kon wept for the absence of his dear Nii-san, Rukia, and for the fact that no one was paying attention to him at all now _**(A/N: Blame me, Kon. I'm the reason why you aren't getting any attention in this story :D)**_.

When Ichigo came back into the room, he felt the cold reiatsu of the taichou chill him in his damp clothes and hair that mostly stuck to his skin, sodden and clean. Hitsugaya sent a clod glare at the teen, but he shook it off, and told the Taichou that his family would freak if their guest didn't wash himself, so the prodigy, agreeing with the berry head, got his clothes and walked into the washroom when Ichigo called out,

" **Yo, Toushiro! You see that white towel on the rack there?"**

"**Yes?"**

"**It's mine. Don't touch it. Yours is near it on a different rack."**

" **The blue one?"**

"**Yeah, that's yours."**

"**Okay."**

After Hitsugaya came up from his bath, feeling refreshed in both Gigai and Soul, his wounds feeling better and such, he met a laughing Ichigo. Hitsugaya looked at himself. Fully clothed, socks on, what was wrong?

"**No not that, "** Ichigo said between laughs, **"Your hair! It's not normal!"**

"**What do you mean by that, Kurosaki?"**

"**It's wet…and pressing to your skin! It's not spiky, it's dishevelled at the tips, like it's all uneven, and some of it touches your shoulders. It's just funny seeing you like that, like a drowned out rat."**

"**It's not a joy seeing your hair sticking to your head too, quite unnerving, Kurosaki. Do you use gel or spray for it?"**

"**Neither. It's natural. What, you use hair products for yours?"**

"**No, mine's natural too."**

"**Whoa…"**

"…"

Soon, both the boy's hair returned to their natural state, Ichigo accused of Hitsugaya liking his music. Hitsugaya denied it, and Ichigo was about to force Hitsugaya to play the guitar when he realised that in that text, Matsumoto bugged her taichou to bring the hair gel, so did that mean she didn't know that it was natural? Ichigo smiled and looked at the taichou, who's face was beginning to redden due to being pestered by a persistent teen. Ichigo was then struck by an idea. And he ran downstairs, and asked his dad if he could get a few friends to come over. His dad agreed, and soon, Ichigo had called Chad, Uryuu, Orihime, Tatsuki, Keigo, and Mizuro to come to his house for a get-together.

Soon, everyone called had arrived, and they all gathered in Ichigo's room.

"_What's wrong Ichigo-kun?"_

"_Yeah, what's the big idea, Kurosaki?" _Tatsuki growled.

"_Anything in trouble?" _Uryuu inquired.

"_Ladies in trouble?" _Asked Keigo hopefully.

"_Idiots that need shutting up?!"_ Tatsuki said, punching Keigo in the head for his stupid question.

"**No, none of that. We're gonna play a little game that Rukia read about in American books and that just came to my mind now: Truth or Dare."**

"_How does it work?"_

"_Yeah, Kurosaki!"_

"**Well, the person who starts it asks anyone they want for the truth, a dare or a double dare. Thye person chooses the desired option, and all hell might break loose. For truth, the other person asks a question, and the person who chose truth must say only what is true. For dare, the other person dares someone to do something, and the person must do it, at all costs, unless the rest of us call it 'too extreme', or they call a chicken out, where they evade the dare and that's the end of their turn. Double dare, everyone else other than the other person and the person who chose it choose the dare, and the two of them have to do the same thing. It sounds fun, but it can be really hectic, or so Rukia says. But I doubt she has any experience with the game. Alright, let's get started. I'll begin."**

And everyone braced for what Ichigo had planned in his crazy teenage mind, might just be the last thing the person chosen would do.


	18. Newfound Yaoi Lovers

"**Alright. Tatsuki, truth or dare."**

"Dare me."

"**Kick Uyruu in the crotch then."**

Tatsuki smiled as she did so, and Uyruu glared daggers at Ichigo, who shrugged and said, **"Not like you're ever gonna use it."** That earned a laugh from everyone. Even Hitsugaya gave an audible chuckle at that, though he did want to show some pity to the poor Quincy. That would hurt.

" Hey, Keigo, truth or dare, freak?"

" Truth. I want to be safe from something horrible."

"Than what do you like?"

"Oh, that's easy, Rangiku-san, Orihime-san, older women, cars and women with big-" He was slapped upside the head by an irritated Ichigo, in a way of saying, 'you're going too far.'

" Uhh, Orihime-san, truth or dare?"

"I wanna try a dare!"

"**Look who's being a brave one there!" **Ichigo grinned at Orihime.

"Take off your top for me!" Everyone glared at Keigo, who cowered at Tatsuki, who was about to give him something to be scared at when Ichigo told her to back off. Snorting, Tatsuki strutted back to her seat, annoyed.

"I call it off then…"

"No I want truth!"

"Okay, do you like anyone?"

"Yeah…"

"Who?"

"**Hey, only one question per person, Asano. Sit down." **Hitsugaya growled, knowing exactly what Keigo was trying to do. Everyone glanced at the prodigy, who shrugged and looked at Orihime, whos was having a little trouble deciding who to choose. Soon she had chosen Chad, and asked him,

"Truth or dare?"

"I might as well try out dare."

"Could you eat some of my food that I made and brought? Please? No one else is eating it."

"Uhhh…"

"**Okay, Orihime, that's a little extreme. Sorry, but I don't think many people have the same taste in food as you, other than Rangiku. So let's call it off." **Ichigo said, trying not to hurt her feelings. Orihime nodded and let Chad have his turn.

"Ichigo, Truth or Dare?"

"**Truth. Don't want your crazy ideas to mess me up in anyway. "**

"How's it feel to have such a crazy family?"

" **Hectic. Nuts. Everybody drives you up the wall, and you're stuck there. But hey, some good times, some bad times. But all in all, crazy. Especially my dad."**

"Ahh. I've always wondered that."

"**Alright, Toushiro, Truth or Dare?"**

"**Since when was I playing? I didn't agree to this at all."**

"**Well you're here, you're my guest, and you're playing."**

"**Fine. Dare."**

"**Go kiss Gin."**

"**WHAT?!"**

The room temperature dropped substantially, and Ichigo was yelled at by a very grossed out taichou.

"**Fine fine. I call it off. Your go."**

"**Ishida, truth or dare?"**

"Truth."

"**Why did you let Tatsuki do that to you?'**

"I'm a what a real man should be: chivalrous."

"**Just because you let women walk all over you doesn't make you a real man. The least you could do is act like an actual man."** Everyone couldn't help but snicker a little. That was a little harsh. But it was true, Uryuu acted more like a girl than a guy, even if he said he was a real man. What self-respecting man joined the sewing club and enjoyed it? Uryuu had just been schooled. By the youngest taichou no less. Now that was as harsh as it could get. Worse, the boy probably hadn't hit puberty yet. Even more harsh.

" Mizuro, truth or dare?" Uyruu asked, still smarting from Hitsugaya's insult.

"Dare, girlyboy."

"Go hug Keigo."

Keigo gasped as he was hugged by a fellow guy. It was weird. Very weird.

Suddenly, Matsumoto, Yumichika, Ikkaku, and Rukia came in from the window, and demanded to join the game.

"Rangiku-san truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Why did you come in with those two?"

"They're just friends, nothing more."

Then it was Rangiku's turn.

"Hey, Ikkaku, truth or dare?"

"Dare me, woman."

"Hold hands with Yumichika for the rest of the night."

"Whatever." Ikkaku growled, grabbing Yumichika's hand, jolting the narcissist to glare at the other from his compact mirror.

Yumichika, I dare you to break that."

"I have to choose, though!"

"Want a double dare, I'll help you!"

"That's too extreme!"

And it was called off.

"Rangiku, I dare you to hug that kid there, the black haired guy on the ground. "

"Uryuu? "

"Yeah."

"Okay!" She then hugged Uryuu, who was nearly suffocated. Soon she let go, and Uryuu's face was blue. Hitsugaya just smirked. Now the idiot knew how he felt when she hugged him.

Just them, Renji and Hisagi came in through the window, not wanting to miss out.

" Taichou! I dare you to sit on Ichigo's lap, like he's that guy, Sanna or something, like they call him in America!"

"Santa?" Chad asked, trying to correct the bubbly woman.

"Yeah, Santa!"

"**Ugh…Matsumoto…"**

Hitsugaya, embarrassed, sat down on the teen's lap, but didn't dare to get off, for fear of his 'reward'(which, was a hug, if you weren't sure).

"**Renji, truth or dare?"** Hitsugaya said, trying to keep everyone to staying true to the rules.

"Dare me, Hitsugaya-taichou."

"**Take out that hair band of yours."**

"Fine…"

Renji took out the band, and his hair collapsed, and Hisagi smiled, suddenly realising that Renji looked good with either his hair up or down. Really good.

"Yo, Rangiku, truth or dare?"

"Truth again."

"Do I look good with my hair up, or down?"

Rangiku just burst out laughing, and skipped her turn.

"**I'll take her turn. Hisagi, truth or dare?"**

"Dare me, strawberry."

"**Go cuddle with Renji then."**

And that's what Hisagi did, and he didn't leave either,m even when Ichigo said that he could if he wanted to.

"What if I don't want to leave him alone?"

"**Than stay there. Just don't go doing nasty things; there's children here you know."** Hitsugaya let out a growl, knowing that Ichigo had been referring to him.

"**Relax, Toushiro. I was only making a point."**

"Hey, Renji, truth or dare?"

"Dare."

" I dare you to kiss me."

Lips touched, and soon they were both kissing, Hisagi and Renji, and enjoying it too. Ichigo walked over and Covered Hitsugaya's eyes with one hand and while no one looked, began to ruffle up the taichou's hair. He then fixed his hair before anybody noticed.

Soon, the two then walked off, out the window, holding hands and being sweet to each other.

"I'll take Renji's turn!" Rangiku said.

"Truth or dare, Ichigo?"

"**Dare, Rangiku. I don't trust what you really say, and if you're daring me what I think you're daring me, I don't want to make your other victim suffer beyond what he deserves."**

"I dare you to hug my Taichou!"

"**I knew it."**

Ichigo wrapped his arms around the taichou in his lap, and hugged softly, so he wouldn't make the guy have a heart attack from being so angry. He then took his hands off the prodigy and chose his victim.

"**Rukia, truth or dare?"**

"Dare. "

" **Kiss Ikkaku, then."**

Yumichika stood up, and dragged his partner to the Ichigo and hit him upside the head. Hitsugaya growled, because he too had been hit by the careless Eleventh Division officer, and told him to get back to his seat. The dare was also called off, too.

Rukia chose her victim quickly and,

"Orihime, truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Are you jealous of Hitsugaya-taichou?"

"What?"

Sadly, she didn't know about what exactly was going on between the two, and didn't know what Rukia was talking about. So Rukia didn't explain it to her.

"Chad, truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"I dare you to…give Uryuu a hug!"

And so Chad did give the spindly Quincy a hug, and then it was Chad's turn.

"Tatsuki, truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"Hug Orihime."

Tatsuki did so, and retreated to her seat.

"Ichigo, truth or dare?"

"**Dare."**

Tatsuki had caught on to the hints thoroughout the whole time; she'd seen Ichigo mess up the kid's hair, the two blushing when they were near each other, the huge blushes on both of them when Ichigo hugged Hitsugaya; it was only logical that they liked each other and refused to try and show it.

One.

Two.

"Then…I dare you to…"

**Three.**

" Kiss Hitsugaya-kun."

"**WHAT?!"**

"**NANI?!"**

"**NO WAY!"** Ichigo yelled, forming an x with his arms. Hitsugaya nodded his agreement.

"Fine…I call it off. But still, it'd be a nice sight, like those other two over there…"

"**Wha…?" **Everyone turned around, and saw Yumichika and Ikkaku making out in the corner. And they were liking it. Ichigo smiled; typical of them, they'd been friends for so long. It was about time they stopped hiding it. But then he thought of he and his Toushiro. Would they ever stop hiding it? Probably, but not soon, at least not yet. Everyone left, the shinigami through the window, and Ikkaku and Yumichika holing hands, and noticed Renji and Shuuhei against a wall, kissing. The four of them all hung out for the rest of the night in that corner, each of them fancying the person they pared themselves up with in Ichigo's room.

The rest left through the front door, and walked home. Now they all had something interesting to talk about in school tomorrow. Ichigo smiled. Only Hitsugaya had stayed behind, of course. His taichou. Everything important so far, happened in Ichigo's room. It was a funny thing to Ichigo. His first meeting with Rukia, first time he noticed that she had been borrowing Yuzu's clothes and sleeping in his room, the first time he had gone to save Toushiro, the first time he realised how much he felt toward the little taichou, and now this; Renji and Hisagi kissing, along with Yumichika and Ikkaku's kissing, all because of a stupid Truth or Dare game.


	19. Sleepful Night After Sunset

The next day was pretty hectic; yet again, Ichigo's class got new kids(namely, Shuuhei, Renji, Yumichika and Ikkaku), whom of which, the teacher had to call upon to stop one of them from bothering the other, even if they weren't bothering their pair.

Soon enough, though, it was lunch, and of course, the 'new kids' followed Ichigo and Hitsugaya's group of Shinigami to the roof, where they all began to eat with Ichigo's school friends and talk about last nights events. Everyone was having fun either making fun of Uryuu, congratulating Hitsugaya on his successful try at insulting someone, or laughing when Shuuhei or Ikkaku started to soak each other or their pair in juice, most of the time grabbing someone else's juice box and squirting it's contents everywhere, soaking everyone but Hitsugaya, who sat on one of the metal caskets on the roof. He was about a foot atller than Ichigo while the teen sat down, and was still taller when the teen stood up; by about an inch or two. He tried to not be included in the conversations, by just staring off into the distance, not really paying attention until he felt something on the back of his neck. Something warm was blowing around his 'tail' and the back of his hair. The prodigy whirled around in alarm, and growled in annoyance when he realised who had been behind him: Matsumoto.  
And she was wearing a shirt that revealed her rather large bust, quite much. He glared at her for not dressing properly, and then resumed ignoring all that was around him. But it was hard to do when Matsumoto proceeded to hug him, causing the back of his head to fly downward into the valleys of doom. Ichigo began to laugh at the taichou's misfortune, but when he saw that the prodigy's face, or whatever he could see of it, has turning blue with lack of oxygen, he pulled the taichou out, who glared at him for handling him like a wild monkey, but Ichigo shrugged.

"**I can easily let you go back there if I let go, Toushiro."**

"**You'd better not."**

"**I will."**

Hitsugaya could tell the he wasn't bluffing, either. He sighed, and ordered Matumoto to let go of him and to go sit down somewhere. But then he realised that she had let go of him instantly to his order, and was about to fall. But then he remembered that Ichigo still had a hold of him. There was laughing. And lots of it.

"_Did you see the way he tensed up when she let go, as if he was going to fall? He forgot about Ichigo!"_

"_Yeah, that was better than what Rangiku-san did to him!"_

"_Totally!"_

"**Come on…give him a break. "**

"**Kurosaki. Put. Me. Back. Now. That's. An. Order."**

"**Back where? "**

"**Where I was."**

"**You mean there?" **Ichigo said, whirling him and the taichou around toward a sitting Matsumoto, who beamed back. Everyone burst out laughing at Hitsugaya's speechless reaction. Ichigo then out Hitsugaya back up on the metal casket he had been sitting on, and jumped up with him. Hitsugaya ignored him, and continued looking back to where he had been looking, at the horizon. He wished it was sunset; it'd be a nice sunset up here. But chances were, the ignorant teen wouldn't let him go alone.

Ichigo smiled, and knew that the prodigy was trying to ignore him. He then tapped the taichou on the shoulder, and when the head whirled around again, he asked,

"**What are you looking at Toushiro?"**

"**It's none of your business. "**

"**Calm down, it was only a question."**

"**A question I don't want to answer. Now leave me alone."**

"**Chill out, Toushiro, you've been so tense since last night."**

"**Well it wasn't my idea, it was yours. I wanted no part in it, Kurosaki."**

Matsumoto, Shuuhei, Renji, Keigo, and Mizuro all had dirty thoughts coursing through their minds at hearing the other two's conversation. They all huddled together to share them, too. Hitsugaya looked once in their direction, and looked back at those brown eyes that he had grown so familiar with looking at. Brown. It was a common eye colour here, but really, Ichigo was the only one that could master the look. His orange hair made his stick out, but his eyes made Hitsugaya want to stay around him.

Ichigo however, found Hitsugaya's eyes a wonderful sight, even now when Hitsugaya wasn't amused at him. The light teal eyes were strange, they made Ichigo want to keep his gaze. Ichigo couldn't help but keep looking at the taichou, even when he looked away. But soon, he looked away, feeling something grab his hair. He didn't have time to look back at Hitsugaya; the prodigy was the one grabbing him. Ichigo saw the taichou in his spirit form, and realised that there was a hollow nearby, only when he saw it.

"**There's a group of hollow all around Karakura. Matsumoto and the others are taking care of the other ones. I'll go check up on their progress." **And with that, Hitsugaya performed a shunpo out of there. Ichigo sighed, and got to work, killing the hollow moments after Hitsugaya left.

On the way home from school Ichigo stopped into a store to but something that he supposedly 'needed to get'. Hitsugaya didn't ask him about it and waited til teen came out of the store. He had a smile on his face, and said that his dad let him stay out later tonight, because he'd have a study group at Chad's house. But of course, Ichigo didn't have anything about Chad or the study group planned. Not at all. The two walked around the city aimlessly for a next few hours, Hitsugaya getting annoyed at Ichigo for not only lying to his dad but for taking him around the city about three times within a few hours. By the time Ichigo began to get a track going, it was about five minutes till the sunset started. Ichigo then used Kon to get out of his body, and then told Kon to go home. Hitsugaya followed Ichigo, using the pill he had stored in his pocket, and told his gigai to go with Kon. Ichigo then used a small shunpo, for that was all he cold manage at the moment, to get to the roof of his school, that was less than ten feet away. Hitsugaya followed him, and when they were on the roof, Ichigo sat down on the casket. Hitsugaya realised that Ichigo hade guess that he'd want to see the sunset from up this high. Hitsugaya smiled a little, and jumped up with the teen, and they both watched as the sun slowly fell beyond the horizon. Slowly, Ichigo inched closer and closer to Hitsugaya.

"**What are you doing, Kurosaki?"**

"**Nothing."**

Then Ichigo continued til…

"**Kurosak-"** Hitsugaya couldn't speak anymore: His lips were locked with Ichigo's and Ichigo had no intention on letting the prodigy go without a fight. Hitsugaya soon calmed down, and allowed his attraction to Ichigo keep the kiss.

After a while, they both parted, and they were both flushed and tried to look away from each other. The sun had fallen, and Ichigo decided to go home. The two then ran home, glad that no one had seen them. Or did no one see them? Matsumoto grinned from behind the bushes. Taichou and Ichigo didn't need anymore help; the Truth or Dare game worked it's magic! Her dares made them like each other, she was sure of it!

That night, in Ichigo's room, when Ichigo was absolutely sure that Hitsugaya was asleep, he took out what he had bought: lip balm. Watermelon flavour. He'd break that ice cold shell above Hitsugaya's feelings of attraction if it was the last thing he did. Being coy about how he felt around Ichigo wasn't working anymore. He had to confess sooner or later. Ichigo then opened the lip balm and spread it on his lips. Ichigo then got into his bed and as if the lip balm wasn't there, slowly began to surrender to sleep. Suddenly, he felt something crawling on him. He opened his eyes, and saw white. It tickled his nose when he breathed, and realised that Hitsugaya had been sleep walking/crawling and smelled the watermelon, and decided to look for it's source. Ichigo smiled. Hitsugaya looked so comfortable just lying there on top of him; his head on his chest, lying stomach down on Ichigo's skyward facing body. Ichigo lifted the prodigy from the ground onto the other side of his bed, and the taichou reacted by finding his way to lie back on top of the teen , head on Ichigo's chest again.

"…**Kuro…sa…kiii…"**

Ichigo soon fell asleep, the two had a restful night, Hitsugaya sleeping on Ichigo's chest, and Ichigo lying down on his own bed, not minding the Taichou's steady breathing every now and then clashing with his own.


	20. Down with the Sickness

That morning, Ichigo woke up first, and wiped off the mostly-dry lip gloss and licked his lips. He smiled at the still sleeping Hitsugaya, right next to him. He looked at him fondly, and decided to not wake him up, so he wouldn't ruin this moment. Ichigo turned around, his back to the taichou, and fell back asleep, forgetting about school. It could wait. He heard a few sniffles and coughs from behind him, and Ichigo looked over his shoulder, seeing a red faced taichou, but he wasn't angry, the prodigy was still asleep, but was red. And was that steam that Ichigo saw coming off of the taichou? The teen reacted quickly, turning over and reaching out to feel Hitsugaya's forehead. The prodigy shied away but Ichigo had already felt him. Warm. Extremely warm. Hot, even. Ichigo then sat up, and got out of the bed, and walked out of his room, taking large, quick steps. He navigated himself into his father's storage room and got out an oral thermometer.

Coming back into his room, he saw a highly confused, sickly Hitsugaya sitting up in Ichigo's bed, steaming. Literally.

"**What was I doing in yer bed, Kurosaki?" **

Hitsugaya asked nasally, signifying that his nose was clogged. Some of his hair drooped, and his eyes were tired. He felt like cra-. Ichigo ignored the question and walked over to the taichou and told him to open his mouth.

"**Why?"**

"**Just do it."**

Hitsugaya did so, and Ichigo put in the bulb of the thermometer, and told Hitsugaya to put it under his tongue. After while, Ichigo took it out, and took a long look at the thermometer.

"**You're sick."**

"**No I'm not."**

"**You temperature is over the normal body temperature by seven degrees. You are sick and you can't deny it. You have a stuffed up nose, and your voice is rough and dry, like you haven't talked in a while. And your throat is as red as your face. So you're sick."**

" **I'm just under the weather, Kurosaki."**

"**No. You're sick. Now get back into my bed. I'm not going to school today, and my dad's gone out with my sisters to Karin's soccer tournament. They'll be gone for the whole day, so you're staying here, and I'm not going to school. I can't leave you here alone. "**

"**Fine, Kurosaki…"**

Ichigo smiled, and then walked out of the room to get some medicine for the shinigami taichou. He came back in holding brand name pills and a bottle of medicine.

" **Pills, like gikongan, or liquid medicine, like…uhh, well syrup."**

" **I don't really care."**

"**Well just choose one, or I'll get you the medicine that you're supposed to take: the kid's stuff."**

Twitch. Twitch. Twitch.

"**What. Did. You. Just. Say?"**

" **Nothing. Here, have the pills, they'll be easier for you."**

Hitsugaya took the pills, and swallowed the amount he read for one of his stature. Ichigo stared, looking a little confused. How could he just take it like it was nothing? And swallow that without water? Was the taichou insane or something? Ichigo shook it off, and walked out of the room, and grabbed a box that had the words 'Chess' written on it in kanji. Ichigo then sat down on his bed, not too far from Hitsugaya, practically near the place where taichou's feet were, and he opened the box, and took out the game board and the pieces. Hitsugaya stared in amazement at the checkered board and the little figurines that came with it. Ichigo laughed. He could take out everything in his house that was new to this guy and kill himself laughing at the child's reaction.

"**This is chess, if you can tell. It's sort of fun, but it can be pretty complicated if you let the game drag on for too long and think too much about your next move. Here's the instructions."**

Ichigo handed the taichou a paper that had kanji all over it. Hitsugaya read it, and quickly understanding the game and what moved where, he chose his colour: white. Ichigo had no choice but to choose black. As soon as they set up the board with the figurines, They began to play, and already, Hitsugaya proved a challenge for Ichigo. Ichigo wished Hitsugaya hadn't read about the Kings, so he would have played it and Ichigo would have taken it and quickly get himself a nice Checkmate, but Hitsugaya was smart, and knew exactly what to move and where the best place would be. But he began to let his men get taken, before finally stopping the near endless slaughter, and was left with a measly five men: A knight, his King, a Bishop, his Queen, and one castle wall. All of those had evaded Ichigo's frenzy, and were now taking Ichigo's men pretty quickly. Within the next fifteen minutes, Hitsugaya had claimed ten more of Ichigo's men, leaving the teen with about seven guys. Ichigo smiled, no one had really beaten him at chess before, besides his dad when he was younger, and Uryuu, who demanded Ichigo to play chess when they were bored and tired of looking for hollows.

Hitsugaya closed in, and Ichigo took his queen. Hitsugaya then came back with a vengeance, and took Ichigo's king. Ichigo then grabbed Hitsugaya's wall, and grinned. Two more to go until…bam. Hitsugaya had taken five more of Ichigo's figurines. This was nearly down to the wire. King and Knight vs. Queen. Ichigo then took the knight, and Hitsugaya's next move almost closed the game. On Ichigo's turn, he tried to get close as possible to the fleeing King. But on Hitsugaya's next move, he landed a Checkmate, and won. Ichigo grinned, and said in a defeated but happy voice,

"**Third person to ever beat me. Wow, Toushiro. First time and you won."**

"**They have a similar game in Seretei. It's called Go, and I've watched a few games. I just used some strategies from that game against you. "**

Ichigo smiled wider, and began to put away the game. Soon enough, he had put everything in it's rightful place, and told Hitsugaya to take a nap. It'd help his body rest properly and get rid of his cold. Ichigo then left the room, and walked down stairs and made himself a sandwich and drank some water.

The teen then grabbed a comic book that he'd smuggled out of his room, and sat down on the couch and began to read it as he waited. He then knew what he was missing: His Ipod. Ichigo then sneaked up stairs and looked at Hitsugaya. Asleep. Ichigo grinned, and took his Ipod and headphones and quietly closed his door and walked back down to the couch and the waiting comic book, turned on his Ipod, put on the headphones, and began to read while 'Asterisk' by Orange Range played in his ears.

A few hours later, Ichigo had read the comic about 6 times and listened to quite a few songs before getting up and checking up on the taichou. He heard slow, steady breaths, and smiled. He was feeling better, his breathing wasn't rough, and he didn't look as tired as before. The medicine worked it's magic on him. Ichigo then began to leave the room after feeling the prodigy's forehead, feeling a significant change in temperature from the last time he had checked; the taichou had cooled right down. He then head a shuffle, and saw Hitsugaya sat up in the bed, blinking away the sleep in his eyes.

"**Kurosaki…?"**

"**How are you feeling?"**

"**A bit better, I guess."**

"**Good. Now you should get more sleep, unless you want water."**

"**No, I'm fine." **

Ichigo nodded, and began to walk outside the door when,

"**Could we play another round of Chess, please?"**

Ichigo couldn't resist. The way Hitsugaya had asked, it sounded so innocent and child-like. And also, Ichigo wanted to cream the taichou and get back at him for his utter defeat last time.

"**Sure, Toushiro."**

-------------------------------------------

A few days later, after Ichigo's second defeat at Chess by Hitsugaya, the prodigy was well and ready to get back in school. But as the two were walking to school, there was a strong reiatsu coming from the outskirts of the town.

"**There's something strange happening outside of Karakura. The others can take care of the city. Let's go, Kurosaki."**

"**Hai, Toushiro."**

The two then swallowed the pills, and burst after the reiatsu in their soul forms. After about seven minutes, they reached their destination, and came to a sudden realisation. The three of Soul Society's greatest enemies were there. Hitsugaya growled, focusing on Aizen and Gin, his eyes blazing in anger. Ichigo glared daggers at Aizen, who smiled fondly back. That fake smile didn't work on these two anymore. And never again would it work. Gin kept a large smirk on his fox-like face, looking oh-so-cunning. Tousen had no expression, his eyes blank, that of a blind man, and his mouth formed a small frown. Two against three. Ichigo swore loud enough for everyone to hear. Aizen smiled wider, and Gin spoke what Aizen was thinking.

"Chil'ren shouldn' swear. It's no' very nice."

"**Like I care."**

"**King, please, lemme have tha' freak show over 'ere, the guy with ta creepy smile! Please!"**

"**Which one? I see two guys with the creepy smiles. They're both freak shows, too."**

"**The guy with the squinty eyes."**

"**Toushiro probably has him covered."**

"**AWWWW, come on, King!"**

"**No. Help me with Aizen."**

"**Fine…"**

"**I'll take Aizen, Toushiro. You can have Gin if you want."**

"**Good. What about Kaname?"**

"I'll get him."

"Don't forget me!"

Shuuhei and Renji appeared, and grinned at the two others. No way were they having all the fun. Not at all.

"**Let's go."**

"**Hai!"**

"Hai!"

"Hai!"

"**Let's get this party started, King." **

Ichigo then jumped at Aizen, glaring at the man with abhorrence in his eyes. Aizen simply waited til Ichigo was close enough, and grabbed Ichigo by the sleeve, and threw him away like garbage. Ichigo came back, and called out his bankai.

"**TENSA ZANGETSU!"**

"Oh dear, what will I do?" Aizen sneered, and dodged Ichigo's slices, and returned them with his Zanpaku-to. Ichigo felt some pain, and hot blood, but he didn't care. This person, no, this retard, had the gall to go and try to kill Toushiro. And no way in heck was he gonna ever get away with it. Ichigo sent a red tinted black Getsuga Tenshou Aizen's way, who destroyed it with a single flick. Ichigo grunted and began to run faster and faster around Aizen, who had no choice but to wait til the right moment to strike. But before hat moment came, Ichigo allowed his hollow to rein supreme, and the hollow jumped out at the man, and the two engaged in a mortal struggle between swords. Parrying blows had never been the inner hollow's favourite way to deflect and protect himself, so he just jumped away and tried to swing down the blade on Aizen's head, and missed. He then sent another Getsuga Tenshou, and dust arose, covering what happned next between the two enemies.

Meanwhile, Hitsugaya was having trouble with Gin, who was a born homicidal maniac. The man had killed more than he could count, and was a genius, which made him more than a match for the child prodigy, Hitsugaya. Bankai was his only option, and Hitsugaya took advantage of the momentary dust blizzard, and called out his bankai, clearly not pleased.

"**BANKAI, DAIGUREN HYOURINMARU!"**

He then sent an ice/water dragon after Gin, and heard it hit someone. When the dust slowly cleared on his side of the battle, he realised that he had accidentally hit Renji and Hihio Zabimaru. But the ice soon shattered, and Hitsugaya apologised.

"Shoot to death, Shinsou."

**Splash. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip.** Blood. And lots of it. Hitsugaya received a wound in his side, that was dripping blood, and soaking him in his own blood. He grunted in pain at seeing the wound, and noticed another Shinsou attack coming, straight for his face. He flew upward, and watched as the sword his thin air. Another Shinsou. Hitsugaya felt it piece through on of his wings, and felt the ice crack, and some of it give way. He panted, loosing blood from his deep wound pretty quickly. Another few Shinsous later, and Gin burst upward, and slashed off one of Hitsugaya's wings. The young taichou fell, speeding toward the ground, head first. If he came into contact with the ground, it would break his neck, and instantly kill him. No more pain. At least for him. The taichou was getting weaker every second, as more and more blood seeped into the air from his wounds. Everything seemed to slow down, and his falling was slower and slower. Seconds before he would crash to the ground, he closed his eyes, and bid a silent goodbye to all those he knew and cared about. And regrets, he regretted many things, but would never admit to most. He would miss almost everyone. Especially Momo and Ichigo. Though he'd never say it. And he saved a special goodbye to his grandmother, who'd died a few years ago, of age. He'd probably meet her in the next, life, till he died again, centuries later, and was reincarnated into Earth again. And the whole cycle would continue, for years on end. A few more seconds and…


	21. Leave My Toushiro Alone

The hollow noticed the taichou falling, and his master took over, and Ichigo ran toward the falling taichou. Seconds before the prodigy crashed, Ichigo caught him. The teen looked fondly at the ice prince, and saw Hisagi and Renji defeated by Tousen, who spared them. The three of the enemies walked toward the teen and the fallen taichou. Ichigo stood up from his kneeling position, and Aizen spoke in a cruel voice,

"Do you see what resisting gets you at? You're lucky, Kurosaki Ichigo, that I can be…merciful. But there is something you must know, dear Ichigo. You belong to me. Hitsugaya-taichou belongs to me. Renji-fukutaichou belongs to me. All of those that are living or dead, belong to me. I, unlike you, am creating a new world order, and no matter how 'evil' you believe me to be, I am only trying to make your lives easier. " Ichigo knew that Aizen's words were a lie. All of them. He didn't belong to anyone, and no one belonged to anyone. Everyone chose what type of person they'd be. What Aizen was saying was going against all laws that Ichigo was aware of.

Aizen continued, "Evil is such a trivial subject, now isn't it? You human beings will call anything that his profoundly wrong, devilish, or absurd, 'evil'. But there is some truth, like fairy tales. But discussing this now as one of my pawns is dying isn't on my to-do list, right, Kurosaki Ichigo?"

Ichigo then looked at Hitsugaya again, the taichou was breathing heavily, and his face was pained, no, agonised. Ichigo was worried. Aizen would keep on talking. He knew it. To waste time. Ichigo snapped back, his voice angry and distrusting, like a stray dog was to a strange person,

" **We shinigami belong to no one! Especially one of the likes of you, Aizen! So screw off and leave us alone!"**

"So harsh. Maybe I should just end that taichou's life now then."

Aizen drew his sword again, and advanced on Ichigo and Hitsugaya. Ichigo held the prodigy closer to his chest, and grasped his word in his right hand, ready to kill Aizen if need be. The man drew closer, and when he was in a three foot distance, stabbed at Hitsugaya, and Ichigo's Zangetsu met Aizen's sword. Ichigo rusted his sword forward, and shook off Aizen's blade. The sword came back, and hit Ichigo's arm, slicing it open. Blood spilled onto the ground, and Ichigo inspected the taichou in his arm, hoping that he didn't get hit. A few more cuts from Aizen were received by Ichigo, and he yelled out, frantic, due to the fact that Hitsugaya had fainted,

"**JUST LEAVE MY TOUSHIRO ALONE, RETARD! WHAT'D HE DO TO DESERVE TO BE KILLED, HUH?"**

Ichigo had yelled it out before he could stop himself. This wasn't what he had meant to say, but what was done, was done. Aizen laughed, and smiled.

"Your Toushiro? My my, that's a surprise…and what did he do? Well, he is one of my greatest enemies, like you and Renji-fukutaichou over there."

"**HOW THE HECK IS THAT RELEVANT TO WHAT I'M SAYING?! JUST LEAVE HIM ALONE!"**

"You're just wasting time now. It won't be long…"

"**Huh…Toushiro! Hang in there! Don't-"**

"TAICHOU!" Rangiku screamed, seeing the fallen Taichou. She then turned on Aizen, clearly not happy. Ikkaku and his lover Yumichika both ran in together, following Matsumoto. Orihime followed them all, and ran to Ichigo, asking about Toushiro-kun.

"**Please, Orihime! Save him…please…"**

"Kurosaki-kun, what's wrong?"

"**Not much time to explain. Please, just help Toushiro…please."**

"I reject!" And her Shun Shun Rikka got to work as soon as Ichigo placed the young taichou onto the ground. Ichigo then began to help the others

fight, trusting Orihime. Orihime had a feeling that Ichigo really cared about the prodigy. Very much. She smiled, happy that Ichigo finally was happy with someone, but was a little disappointed that it wasn't her. But hey, to her, if Ichigo was happy, she was happy. Orihime just hoped that Hitsugaya cared just as much for Kurosaki-kun as he cared for him.

After a long time of fighting, the group of Shinigami were being overwhelmed by the three former taichous. And soon enough, Hitsugaya was fully healed, and joined the battle, thanking Orihime. He ran up beside Ichigo, who had just taken a blow from Gin. Ichigo grinned, happy to see the taichou well again. Hitsugaya felt something cloud his mind: memories from when he had fainted. Why he remembered, them, he didn't know. But he just did. And he heard what Ichigo had said from his mind. And he remembered Ichigo's touch. And his voice. And something warm. It had a strong smell. A mix between Ichigo's sweat and blood. Hitsugaya wished that he had been more than half-conscious, so he could have snuggled into Ichigo's shihakushou. As soon as he though of that, he felt his face turn pink. Ichigo grinned, knowing that the taichou was thinking of something between them.

After a few more hours, the fighting was over. Aizen and Gin shunpoed away, and Ichigo could have sworn he'd seen them holding hands. Tousen followed, clearly defeated. Ichigo grinned, it had been a while since he'd had a good fight, but he wasn't ever going to forgive Aizen for what he did before, and what he tried to do during this battle. Ever.

Back at Ichigo's house, the two had long since gotten back into their body and gigai, and Hitsugaya and Ichigo hadn't talked. It was awkward, two guys unable to share their thoughts and such to each other. Hitsugaya wasn't really the type to state his feelings out loud, and nor was Ichigo. They liked to keep to themselves. But Ichigo couldn't take it much longer. He had to tell Toushiro. It was important that he latter knew about how he felt. And hopefully, the boy would return the feelings. Here goes nothing, Ichigo thought, and took a large beath, klet it out, and began to speak.

"**You know…Toushiro…lately, I've been, well feelings things around you that I've never felt before…and I think that…I sort of…you know…like you." **Beyond awkward. Ichigo blushed, and looked to the ground, ashamed of saying it like an idiot. But he felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked up, and saw Hitsugaya, with a small smile.

"**I understand, Kurosaki…and-" **The prodigy looked away, not keeping the gaze. He didn't want to say anything else.

"**Toushiro? What's wrong?"**

"**It's nothing. Don't worry about it."**

"**Come on, I just opened my heart to you and you won't say anything back?"**

"…"

"**Toushiro, it's okay. I won't tell anyone if you tell me. I promise."**

"…**fine. I know how you feel…because…I've been feeling the…same way around you…as you do around…me. I've only felt it once…and that was a…long time ago. It was around…Kusaka whenever I felt it…and it surprised me…when I felt it…towards you. And I've sort of not…really cared about you…until now…and I think…I disliked you so much…I started to…like you."**

Ichigo smiled again, knowing that it was hard for the prodigy to open up to someone. Ichigo looked at the boy, who looked back. Brown. Teal. Shiro. Kuro. Taichou. Substitute. Silver. Orange. No matter their differences, all they saw was a person that they cared about more than anyone else. Hitsugaya smiled back.

"**Sort of like Yumichika and Ikkaku, or Hisagi and Renji, huh?"**

"**No. Not really. Completely different."**

"**How? We're both guys."**

"**It's still beyond different."**

"**Why?"**

"**They kissed when they realised their feelings."**

"**Yeah, and?"**

" **It was during a game. We kissed whenever it seemed most convenient. We've saved each other from death multiple times. We've gotten into more trouble together. It's completely different."**

"**You know what you missed?"**

"**What?"**

"**They never said anything about not liking the other, or they didn't play with the others hair, or sleep in the same bed yet, right? And also, I've never heard them say anything about ever liking each other. You're right; we are different from them."**

"**See, Kurosaki? I was right."**

"**And you wanna know something?"**

"**Hm?"**

"**I'm glad we're different. And I think we started all of this too. Rangiku has probably been meddling with us. So how about we do something about it?"**

"**Like what?"**

"**Act all cute and stuff in the park, get her to see, then scare her by finding her and whomever else she's dragged into this."**

"**But in broad daylight? Where everyone can see us?"**

"**No, as Shinigami. So only she can see us."**

"**Hmmm…"**

"**So, deal?"**

"**Alright then. Let's get back at her."**

"**Alright, Toushio! Time to have some fun, you! Let's play the joke on her tomorrow, okay?"**

Hitsugaya nodded, and he grinned. Finally, something to scare her into doing her paperwork with. This would be fun. And priceless.


	22. Stop Stalking Us Matsumoto

The next day, after school, Hitsugaya and Ichigo walked to the park together, and got out of their gigai and body, and sat down on a bench. Ichigo then slowly took Hitsugaya's hand and clasped it softly in his hand, and saw Rangiku's eyes peering from the bushes near him, but pretended to ignore her. Hitsugaya played along, and let Ichigo reach over and wrap his arms around him, pulling the young taichou close to him, and engaging into a fond hug. Hitsugaya felt his face redden, and Ichigo's face was redder than Renji's hair. Ichigo smiled at him, and a small smile was returned by Hitsugaya, and Ichigo turned his back to Rangiku, and watched the small children play around in the park, along with a ghost child, who wasn't aware that she was long dead. Hitsugaya instinctively didn't know what to do, but seeing Ichigo's look in his eye, Hitsugaya followed him, and leaned against the teen, still ignoring the woman behind them.

"**Now...?" **Hitsugaya whispered, careful that Matsumoto didn't hear.

"**Yeah." **Ichigo whispered, and waited for another while.

_One._

_Two._

_Three._

The two then turned around, and much to Rangiku's surprise, screamed at her,

"**STOP STALKING US, MATSUMOTO! GET OUT OF HERE!"**

"AHHHHHH! Taichou?! Ichigo!?"

Rangiku got up and scrambled away from the park, terrified and surprised. She ran off somewhere, and the parents at the park had heard the woman yell., and began to gather their children and leave, hoping that there was no danger to their children. The little girl watched as her 'friends' left, and began to look for her mother.

"Mommy, where are you? Mommy…? Stop doing that, it hurts my feelings!"

Ichigo stood up and looked at the little girl. She reminded him of when he was younger. Hitsugaya didn't say anything, not wanting to worsen the situation.

"Do you guys know where my mommy is?"

"**No. Sorry. I'm afraid that she's long gone…" **Hitsugaya said, and looked up at Ichigo who was looking down at the ground, not saying anything.

"But you have to have seen her! She's really beautiful with long brown hair and a nice smile!"

Ichigo closed his eyes, but it only made it worse. Images of his mother filled his mind, and he fell to his knees.

"**Kurosaki, are you okay?"**

"**Yeah, I just need some time…alone. Try to help her find her mother, Toushiro. If not, you know what to do."**

"**Kurosaki…"**

"**Just go, please."**

"**Come on, little girl."**

"I'm Akako, not little girl, Toushiro-kun."

"**Alright, then. Akako. Let's leave my friend alone here for a while. He'll be okay."**

But really, all Hitsugaya did was perform Konso on the girl not long after, and go back to the park, where Ichigo had disappeared. Hitsugaya followed his reiatsu to the river, where Ichigo had been almost famous for going there when he was feeling melancholic about his mother's death. It didn't take long for the prodigy to find the teen, even if it was sunset and Ichigo's hair reflected the colour of the setting sun on the water. Ichigo was standing up, and looking down into the water, seeing his reflection. But at that moment, all he could see was someone who had failed to protect his own mother from what, a simple hollow? Ichigo could have killed that thing ten times over if he had been a Shinigami before that day when Rukia saved him. Ichigo knew it had been sort of his fault. Hollows went after spiritual pressure, and Ichigo must have had some back then, and it grew, even if it was slowly. He then noticed the telltale features of the taichou next to him. Hitsugaya again didn't speak until…

"**Did she find her mother?"**

"**No. I performed Konso on her not long after I left you alone. Her mother was probably long dead by now."**

"**Yeah, I guess."**

"**What's wrong Kurosaki?"**

"**When she began to talk about her mother, she reminded me of myself when I was her age, and well, it lead to the fact that I couldn't help her…I was too weak…and I wasn't…" **

Hitsugaya knew slightly how Ichigo felt, but unlike him, he tried not to hang onto the past for too long. Ichigo learned from his past, but now, he was suffering from it. Hitsugaya wasn't sure what to say, we wasn't skilled in communication. When it came to conversations, he was like a Byakuya junior, unable to keep a conversation interesting, even if it was about the things he liked the most.

"**Thanks…"**

"**For what?"**

"**Coming back. Most people I know would've left me here until the morning, and think that I'd snap out of it after an hour or so. Or given me too much space."**

"**Heh. Let's go home, Kurosaki."**

"**Yeah, sure."**

----------------------------------

In the morning, Hitsugaya skipped breakfast and ran off to school with Ichigo, hoping that they wouldn't be late. They had slept in by ten minutes, and had rushed everything; Hitsugaya even forgot to pack himself a lunch.

At lunchtime, the prodigy was slightly hungry, but wasn't about to go around asking for someone else's food. Especially now. He could wait til the end of the school day. Seeing everyone else eat made the temptation worse, but he still had great self control and tried not to watch Ichigo's companions eat.

"**Toushiro, where's your lunch."**

"**Forgot to pack it. Does it concern you that much, Kurosaki?"**

"**Yes, it does. Here, have some of mine, it doesn't matter, as long as it's eaten."**

"**No, it's alright. I can deal with it. It's my fault, so I'll deal with the consequences."**

Ichigo frowned, but decided not to speak any more.

By the time school was out, Hitsugaya was feeling pains in his stomach, but didn't tell Ichigo as he walked to the Kurosaki Residence. He could deal with it himself. As soon as they got into the door, Ichigo saw everyone in a rush; his sisters carrying supplies to different rooms, where their overworked father rushed to each room, looking at each person's ailments.

"**Hey, what's going on? "**

" Big fire…we've been working…so hard…all day…" Yuzu said, panting. Ichigo then took the supplies that she was carrying and took them to the room the paper on the top said. Hitsugaya followed, and was told by Isshin to help his daughters and son carry supplies to the different rooms. The man then dialled numbers on the nearest telephone and began speaking, soon turning into yelling, and the sound of the phone slamming onto it's holder. Hitsugaya took Karin's load, and began to take it to the assigned room.

A few more hours of working their butts off trying to help everyone in the Clinic made Hitsugaya even more hungry, and dinner wasn't til late that night. Every now and then, Ichigo would rush out of his room to help his father carry someone to a spare room. During the seventh time Ichigo had rushed out of his room, hunger struck the taichou like never before, and he gasped, pain gripping his abdomen fiercely, no signs of letting up. He tried not to fall to his knees, and walked to the washroom. Soon as he closed the door, he fell to his knees , and gripped his stomach with his arms, grinding his teeth in pain. He had never experience this before, being so hungry that it hurt. He had never eaten the whole day, and was beyond starving. The prodigy took a few deep breaths and tried not to think of it, trying to kep his thoughts on something else when-

Knock. Knock.

"**Toushiro, you in there?"**

"**Yeah…"** Hitsugaya tried not to groan.

"**Are you okay? Are you hurt or anything? Hit yourself on something?"**

What should he say? Hitsugaya wasn't sure, and he didn't want to add on to the people that needed help here. He slowly began to get up, and sweat rolled down his face. He then slowly let go of himself, but not long after, he backed into a wall and slammed his back onto it, grasping his stomach again with his arms. The pain was back, and it didn't want to leave him alone. Ichigo heard the slamming and opened the door. He looked and saw Hitsugaya, clearly in pain.

"**I thought you said that you were okay?"**

"**I…didn't…say anything…when…you asked…me…"**

"**See what happens when you don't eat? You should have eaten at least something, baka."**

"**Sou ka…this doesn't happen…in…Seretei…"**

"**That's because you eat there. You guys really have to if you want to be able to fend off any attacks. You guys eat as much as you can to build your strength. Not eating means loosing in battle, right?"**

"**Yeah…"**

"**Well that applies here too, only you can get pains like that if you don't eat for the whole day. I guess you guys can get them in Soul Society too, only you guys normally don't get the pain. Come on, let's get you something to eat before you faint or something."**

"**Yeah."**

That night, dinner was late, and everyone ate, cherishing the fact that the majority of their overwhelming amount of patients were in a different hospital. There was little to no talk in the house, and when the Shinigami and the taichou walked up to Ichigo's room, the taichou thanked him for helping out, even if he didn't want any help.

"**No problem, Toushiro. That's what friends are for, right?"**

The taichou smiled a little, and nodded, feeling a nice wave of sincere happiness wash over him as he felt Ichigo's arm wrap around his shoulder, bringing him closer to the teen. Soon enough, he leaned back slightly on the teen, hoping he wouldn't notice, and closed his eyes.

"**AH MAN!"**

"**Nani?"**

"**There's a test tomorrow! In math!"**

"**We have to study now?"**

"**Yeah, Toushiro."**

Ichigo stood up and got his textbook out. Hitsugaya took out his text book and notebook and began to scan his answers and the terms and such.

Hours later, Ichigo leaned against one of his walls, tired and having a headache from an overload of studying. Hitsugaya was nearly asleep there on the bed. Ichigo closed his eyes. Just to rest them, no sleeping. But when he felt something on his arm and shoulder, he opened them and saw a sleeping Hitsugaya leaning on him, extremely tired. Ichigo blushed, and smiled down at the young taichou. The teen looked at his alarm clock. 2:14 am. It was pretty dark out too. Ichigo stood up, and picked up the taichou, who had probably wanted to fall asleep right next to the teen, and set him down on his bed. Ichigo then climbed into his own bed, Hitsugaya beside him, and covered the taichou with a few blankets. The taichou could do what he wanted to Ichigo in the morning. Ichigo just wanted to sleep. He then cuddled up next to Hitsugaya and wrapped an arm around the prodigy, as if to comfort him. Ichigo closed his brown eyes and fell asleep, smiling. Hitsugaya woke up, feeling Ichigo's arm around, him, and smiled. He too fell back asleep, a small smile in his face.


	23. MATSUMOTO!

"**Man, that test was hard…" **said Ichigo, sighing as the class walked out of the Math Room. It was the last class of the day, which gave the couple a good chance to study throughout the day. When they got back from the high school, Ichigo opened the closet in his room revealing a TV screen, and a white box that had a power button on it. Hitsugaya was amazed yet again at the technology, but he knew that Mayuri Kurotsuchi had something like this, only he called it a 'database system' or something like that.

"**This is a television aka the TV. And this," **Ichigo said, placing his hand on the white box, **"Is called a Wii. It's extremely fun if you have the right games. It's sort of like when you hold one of there Wii remotes or Wiimotes, and you jerk your hand a little, the person you play in certain games will have a similar reaction."**

"**Oh. Is this Wee you speak of able to speak?"**

"**No, Toushiro. It's an inanimate object."**

"**Hm. Then why will it move when you move?"**

"**It's sort of like action replay. It isn't alive, the person you are playing in the game makes the movements."**

"**Oh, so you're controlling the person onscreen."**

"**Yeah, like that."**

"**Sounds enjoyable."**

"**Great! 'Cause it is enjoyable. Let's try Super Smash Brothers Brawl."**

"**Super…Smash…Brothers…Brawl…?"**

"**It's a game where a bunch of characters from other games come together and fight each other. It's more of a button masher than action replay."**

"**Button Masher…? As in, you press the buttons on the Wiimote really quickly and that's really all you do?"**

"**Yeah! You're getting a hang of what this game system is all about. But can you beat me?"**

"**Depends on what the characters can do."**

Ichigo grinned, and turned on the TV and the Wii, and soon enough, they had started a brawl, one on one. Ichigo had taken a fancy to Mario, knowing that the plumber had a few good tricks up his sleeve. Hitsugaya had chosen Link, who wielded a sword on his back, much like the person controlling him.

Hitsugaya was mashed into pulp by the time the five minutes were up of playing. Link was dying every 46 seconds. Ichigo smiled at Hitsugaya's frustrated face. The prodigy was having trouble with this game.

The next battle started, and Ichigo chose Ike, and Hitsugaya selected the Ice Climbers, relieved that he had a double threat going on.

After a five more minutes of button pressing, Hitsugaya had won, Ichigo grinning even more. He hadn't let the taichou win; it had been a fluke. The prodigy was getting better every time he played.

After a few more rounds, Ichigo gave up; the ice prince had learned all of Ichigo's tricks and countered them with his own. Hitsugaya had also grown tired of playing, but was ready none the less to have another round later. Sure, the game had nothing but smashing buttons, but it was fun to play if the opponent was a challenge, like Ichigo had been when they first started playing.

----------------------------------------------------------

A few days later of doing little to nothing, the two realised that Matsumoto had left them alone. They began to discuss in the park with Orihime(Yumichika and the others were busy at the moment).

"_Maybe she was taken by Aliens to the mother ship and was accepted by them." _Orihime mused, clearly trying to be optimistic.

"**Inoue, your imagination astounds me, but I don't think these 'aliens' you speak of would take my fukutaichou to what ever a 'mother ship' is."**

"**Orihime, thanks, but you have an imagination too big for that head of yours," **Ichigo spoke, embarrassed by his comrade's outlandish suggestion.** "I think Aizen took her as bait for you, Toushiro."**

"**You think everything is Aizen's fault now, don't you, Kurosaki?"**

"**No, it's completely logical, he's trying to lure you, and then he knows I'll follow you, but what about Renji?"**

"**The situation should play out more. And we should monitor Kuchiki Rukia and Inoue for a while. But I think he'd go for Kuchiki before Inoue, because that would draw both you and Arbarai to him."**

"**But you can't just let Rangiku handle this all by herself, she's not a taichou."**

"**Remember, Kurosaki, Matsumoto is my fukutaichou, she can handle herself well in these situations. But there is something we can also take into account."**

This made Ichigo and Orihime look at the prodigy, questioning what he just said.

"**Matsumoto got quite a scare that last time she spied on us, Kurosaki, so maybe she's left us alone for a while."**

"_Hmmm…? What do you mean, Toushiro-kun?"_

Ichigo gave Orihime a 'you don't want to know' look. She nodded in understanding. Rangiku-chan must have been pretty annoying for them to scare her, if the two even did something about her spying.

"**So she could be hiding? And how would you know?"**

"**Yes, and I know because I can feel her reiatsu coming from in the bushes behind us. Matsumoto, come out."**

Astounded, the other two turned to look, and indeed, Hitsugaya had been right, and saw Rangiku emerging from the bushes behind her taichou, flushed with embarrassment.

"_How'd you know I was there, taichou?"_

"**You were careless and let your reiatsu give you away. Now, did you ask Urahara about the hollows?"**

"_Hmmm…?"_

"**Well?"**

"_OH! That! Oh, well I saw something really nice, and I just had to but it, so I sort of forgot…sorry taichou…"_

"**Matsumoto, what don't you understand about 'Ask Urahara if he's received any information on the new breed of hollows from Seretei'?"**

"_Ummm…all of…it?"_

Ichigo braced himself for what he was going to experience…

_One._

_Two._

_Three._

"**MATSUMOTO!!!!!"**

…a front row seat to Toushiro's annoyance at Rangiku's laziness. The woman had heard that telltale yell many times before, and it just went into one ear and out the other. Sure, she'd heard it, but hey, come on, she couldn't change the ways she was for duty. She was more for fun and games before work. She nodded in false understanding, and ran off toward Urahara's house.


	24. Affection

The next day was the weekend, and Ichigo couldn't help but burst into a chorus of laughing. He pointed at Hitsugaya, who wasn't amused.

"**What do you want, Kurosaki?"**

"**Oh nothing_,_ Koori no ouji****."**(_A\N: Prince of Ice_)

"**When did you decide to start to call me that?"**

"**Right now. Do you have a problem with it?"**

"**Yes, I do. And I know you have a problem with what I'm wearing."**

"**How?"**

Hitsugaya gave Ichigo the death look, and he backed off. Ichigo still couldn't resist snickering. Matsumoto was getting back at her taichou. She'd bought him a flowery shirt that also had a few hearts on it. And he was wearing something that Ichigo couldn't help but not look at: pink pants with frills at the bottom, most likely from the girl's section. Ichigo snickered, and received the death look again from the prodigy, and raised his hands in defence, but still smiling to himself.

"**Maybe I should change before you kill yourself from laughing…"**

"**Yeah, that'd be the smart way to go, Toushiro."**

It didn't take long for the taichou to emerge from the washroom with a designer shirt and regular jeans. Ichigo gave him the thumbs up, signalling that it was better than what Rangiku had bought him.

"**Alright, Toushiro, let's go to the park. There's something I want to show you."**

"**Nani, Kurosaki? The park? What interesting about that?"**

"**You'll see when we get there, baka."**

After they left Ichigo house, they headed for the park. It didn't take long for Ichigo and Hitsugaya to arrive at the park, and before Hitsugaya could ask why they were here, Ichigo told him to follow him. They walked further into the brush, and soon came across a beautiful clearing that had _Sakura(A/N: Cherry Blossom)_ trees all around. There was a shrine nearby, and someone dressed in all black was apparently praying. The substitute and the taichou took no notice, and Ichigo grinned, seeing Hitsugaya's slightly pleased face. He had to admit, it was a nice sight. As they began to admire the trees, a voice rang out, and they turned to look at the figure in black standing at the shrine. It was a tall woman, her hood up so it concealed a great amount of her face. She raised her arm, pointing it at the child prodigy. Within her spindly fingers was a small gun. Hitsugaya had no idea what it was, and looked at the machine, trying to figure out what it was. But it was too late, and…

_**BANG!!!**_

_Splatter. Drip. Drip. Splatter. _

Hitsugaya stared in fright at what he had just seen. He glared at the woman, standing up from where he had fallen. But he hadn't fell down to the pressure of the shot; Ichigo had pushed him down and taken it. He didn't stop to look at the teen, who, from the sound that he had heard, had fallen to his knees, bleeding from his side. Hitsugaya ran toward the woman, grabbing his gikongan and swallowing one of the pills, his gigai rushing to Ichigo's side because of his master's orders. The woman grinned a familiar grin, and when she pulled over her hood, she revealed that fox-like face, and unnerving smile, Gin Ichimaru's trademark. Her facial features gave it all away: Aizen had sent Gin to try and kill him again. Hitsugaya pulled out Hyourinmaru, but Ichimaru used a shunpo and got away. Hitsugaya tried to sense his reiatsu, but it was no use. The taichou then walked over to Ichigo, who was breathing abnormally.

"**I'm…okay…don't worry…"**

Hitsugaya nodded, and got back into his gigai. He then helped up the teen, and they both ran as best as they could to Orihime's house.

After Ichigo had been healed, they went to go see Urahara to tell him of their last encounter with Gin. But he had nothing to say, so the two went back to Ichigo's home.

Back up in the teen's room, the two began to discuss the events what happened earlier.

"**So that weapon that he had was a thing called a gun, and it shoot pieces of metal at people at top speeds to wound others?"**

"**Yeah, basically."**

"**What a dangerous thing."**

"**Yep, and if it's in Aizen's hands, he'll be even more feared, right?"**

"**No, I don't think Aizen's the one to rely on such a primitive weapon. He'd go for something more lethal than just a small gun. Are there any weapons here more dangerous than that?"**

"**Yeah, but I just hope Aizen won't discover them."**

After an hour or so, Ichigo pulled out the Wii again and put in Super Smash Brothers Brawl. This time, he creamed Hitsugaya five times before Hitsugaya used Link's final smash, defeating Ichigo's blue Bowser in the last ten seconds of the two minute fight. Before they could have another go, it was time to eat. This time, it was rice cakes and sushi for dinner. Hitsugaya and Ichigo, clearly hungry after the days events, ate two rounds, before finally getting full and heading upstairs and playing one more game: Ichigo's Luigi versus Hitsugaya's Ike. Hitsugaya won this time, and soon, they began to get a little bored, so Ichigo turned off the game, and Hitsugaya started the talk about the incident earlier that day.

A few more hours of talking about the guns and other weapons, Ichigo giving Hitsugaya the names of all the living world weapons that he could remember, and explaining what they could do as well as he could, and Ichigo grew even more bored. Hitsugaya kept all of this information Ichigo had given him deep within his mind to alert the Seretei's other taichous of the possible threats from Aizen there may be in the future if he gets a hold of any one of the those weapons. Hitsugaya sensed Ichigo's jadedness in his reiatsu, and suddenly had an idea. He walked over to Ichigo's door and fumbled with the lock on the doorknob, and grabbed the nearest chair and put it under the knob for good measure, just in case Ichigo family decided to peek in or barge in. Soon, when all the lights under the door turned off and Hitsugaya was sure everyone else was in bed other than them, he placed a kido spell over the room to make it soundproof, so no one would hear them or they wouldn't be able to hear anyone.

"**What are you doing, Toushiro?"**

"**What does it look like? I'm keeping your family out of your room and making sure they don't hear what we're talking about in here."**

"**You should've done that earlier, Toushiro."**

"**Whatever. It doesn't really matter now."**

Hitsugaya then advanced on the teen, who just sat on his bed and stared, not knowing what the taichou had planned. Hitsugaya soon got close to the teen, and allowed his chest to lean on Ichigo's and the teen lid down, thinking that the boy wanted to sleep on him again or something similar. Hitsugaya grinned. That was exactly what he wanted Ichigo to do. The taichou then put his face extremely close to Ichigo's who didn't know what was coming. Soon, Hitsugaya made his move, and planted a passionate kiss on the teen's lips. Ichigo was surprised the taichou would actually have the guts to make the first move, and he let thoughts race through his head.

What if the others saw? Would they accept it? Toushiro and him together? What would happen when Hitsugaya left? Where would they be then?  
But above all else, one thought took over; Ichigo? Yeah? Stop thinking and enjoy it while it lasts.

That's what he told himself, and enjoyed the long kiss, and when the two parted, they were both redder than Renji's hair. Ichigo then took control and flipped over, causing Hitsugaya to roll onto his own back. Ichigo held himself over the taichou, so the weight of his chest wouldn't hurt the prodigy, and kept his eyes levelled with Hitsugaya's. Ichigo returned the grin, and lowered himself down and kissed the taichou back. The prodigy, clearly enjoying this moment where they could love each other in peace, wrapped his arms around the teen's neck and pulled himself up, even closer to the teen. Hitsugaya then tried to add his tongue to it, and soon, Ichigo accepted the challenge, and soon their tongues were battling for dominance. Ichigo won, and Hitsugaya allowed entrance. It didn't take long for Ichigo's tongue to have roamed around freely in Hitsugaya's mouth, and he let Hitsugaya have a turn at it.

After a while, they parted once more, both almost gasping for breath. Ichigo had to admit; for a kid that had possibly never kissed before, he was a good kisser. Hitsugaya enjoyed Ichigo's return kiss almost as much as his own. Ichigo sat up, and let Hitsugaya sit between his legs, and he felt the taichous hair on his neck as the taichou lid back. Ichigo wrapped his arms around the prodigy in a comfortable and tight embrace. There was a dark blush on both of their faces, and Ichigo couldn't help but comment on it.

"**Hey, Toushiro, that blush on your face really brings out your eyes and hair." **Ichigo joked, lightly nudging the taichou that was leaning on him.

" **Sou ka. Your face makes you look like Kusajishi grabbed some red markers and played 'colour the strawberry' on your face."**

Ichigo laughed. The prodigy's remarks could be pretty funny. Ichigo yawned, and told the taichou to get up so he could get to bed. Ichigo just jumped into his bed when the taichou moved, the clothes he had won that day still on. He lid down on his back, and closed his eyes.  
Feeling something on his chest, he opened one eye and saw Hitsugaya on top of him. Ichigo smiled, and pulled the covers over him and the taichou, and soon, they fell asleep together, yet again, only this time, Hitsugaya actually wanted to. In his sleep, Hitsugaya nuzzled Ichigo's chest affectionately, smiling lightly in comfort. Ichigo reacted in his sleep by placing a hand on the taichou's back.


	25. Aizen

Hitsugaya woke up first the next day, and began to get up off of the teen.

"**Ugh…no, stay there…Toushiro…don't get up…" **Ichigo groaned groggily in response to Hitsugaya getting up.

Hitsugaya smiled ever so faintly, and lid back down, and feeling Ichigo's arms close around him into a tight embrace. Hitsugaya squirmed a little, uneasy about how tight the hug was. Ichigo didn't release him. Hitsugaya looked at him, wondering what was going on. He was acting like a drunk Matsumoto.

"**Kurosaki…are you drunk?"**

"**What do you mean, Toushiro? I'm fine."**

"**You're acting drunk, though, Kurosaki. And don't call me that."**

"**Maybe I am. What're ya gonna do, eh?"**

"**Did you drink anything last night?"**

"**No, but maybe I'm drunk offa you."**

"**Nani?!"**

"**Ya heard me, Toushiro."**

This wasn't Ichigo was it? Hitsugaya could tell it wasn't. Looks like his hollow somehow must have gotten he and the poor teen drunk. His breath stank of alcohol. Hitsugaya tied to get up, but the teen's arms held him back, restraining him from getting up. His arms closed a bit tighter.

"**Kurosaki, let me up."**

"**Ya gotta say sumthin' first."**

"**Teme, let me up."**

"**Nope, Toushiro." **The grip got tighter, and Hitsugaya was finding it harder to breathe. The teen might crush him if he didn't let go soon.

"**That's an order from a taichou! Let go!"**

"**Wrong answer, kiddo." **Tighter. Hitsugaya was running out of options, and his abdomen was getting constricted.

"**Please, Kurosaki, let go!"**

"**Nope." **Even tighter. Hitsugaya squirmed more, trying to resist, but the grip got tighter as he squirmed. He gasped, his lungs and body were smothered against the teen's, and he couldn't fight back.

"**JUST LET GO, YOU'RE MAKING ME LOOSE OXYGEN!"**

"**So what? Like I care." **Tighter. Hitsugaya was having breathing problems now, his ribs pressing tightly against Ichigo's . He had little room to breathe, and his ribs were more fragile that Ichigo's. If the grip got tighter, he'd surely have some ribs broken. Hitsugaya knew that this wasn't Ichigo. Even if Ichigo were drunk, he'd let go by now. He'd have enough sense to do that. This had to be his hollow. Hitsugaya looked into Ichigo's eyes desperately and saw the golden iris' and black sclera. The white mask with red stripes. He hadn't noticed that earlier.

"**Why are you doing this?"**

"'**Cause King hasn't let me out in a while because he's all distracted with ya an' that's all he ever thinks 'bout is ya. I got sick an' tired a' ya and yer stupid lil' face and decided to kill ya once an' fer all, brat. I got King 'ere all drunk last night so he'd be weak enough ta lemme out." **Ichigo's voice got watery and corrupted as his hollow's voice spoke, and Hitsugaya's eye widened. All of this…only because he was the person always on the teen's mind? Jealousy from the inner hollow?

"**I used ta be on his mind all tha time: 'How will I compress him?' 'How can I deal with that hollow inside?' 'Quit screwing around and leave me and my body alone, hollow!' An' then you come along an' live with my King, and yer all he thinks 'bout! Makes me sick, eh? Males me think 'well, he ain't that special is he? He's just a brat that can do Bankai. Whoop-de-frickin'-doo.' right? Makes me wanna get rid a' him so King'll pay more attention to me an' forget 'bout you. One less person ta worry 'bout."**

Hitsugaya stared into the pained, angry eyes of the savage hollow inhabiting Ichigo's body. He had no idea, and almost felt sorry. He could tell that this hollow was pretty territorial when it came to Ichigo's mind. He felt as the hollow spoke, the arms around him slowly getting tighter. The taichou was having a really hard time breathing, and there was one last squeeze, and the wind was knocked out of the taichou. The hollow took advantage of this, and tossed the gasping taichou to the ground. He then kicked the prodigy in the stomach, and picked him up and threw him out the open window.

"**How do ya like that, Toushiro? Huh, brat?"**

Hitsugaya gasped for breath. He was shaking, both from fear, and lack of oxygen. He couldn't believe it; he, the taichou of the Tenth Gotei 13 Company, had been squeezed, kicked in the stomach, picked up, and thrown out of a window of a two story house. By Ichigo's inner hollow, no less. He glared at the hollow with animosity in his eyes. The hollow just laughed, and jumped out the window after him. The taichou stood up slowly, realising that his wrist had been sprained. He stood in defiance against the hollow, who laughed at the taichou. He landed in front of the boy, and towered over him. Hitsugaya had to fight him, but he couldn't bring himself to. He didn't want to hurt the person that he loved most. The hollow sensed the falter in his reiatsu due to the fact that his opponent was inhabiting his lover's body. A large grin that Gin would deem twenty stars appeared on those familiar lips, and he laughed loudly, and advanced toward the taichou, who stood his ground. Suddenly, Ichigo took over, sober, and having a massive hangover. The two fought over dominance of Ichigo's body once again, Ichigo finally winning. Hitsugaya was still panting a little, and Ichigo saw the taichou's slightly bruised wrist, and asked him what happened. Once Hitsugaya had told the teen of the events, Ichigo scowled,, angry with himself for letting his hollow do that, and angry with his hollow for hurting his Toushiro. The two then walked back to Ichigo's room quietly, to find that Hitsugaya had forgotten to take off the chair, so they had to climb in through the window. It took a while, but soon they were up in Ichigo's room, and Ichigo had taken the chair off the door and got some bandages and support for the wrist.

"**We can't always rely on Inoue to help out," **Ichigo said coming back into his room, to find that Hitsugaya was using kido to heal his wound. Ichigo grinned, and put the things back where they belonged, and closed his window and curtains. He then closed his door and put the chair in front of it.

"**you still have that kido barrier up?"**

"**Yes, why?"**

"**Good. Are you okay? Maybe we should go see Inoue just in case…"**

"**No, it's okay, I'm fine."**

"**Alright, then…"**

Ichigo walked over to the taichou that had sat down on his bed and told him if he wanted, he could play the Wii. It as an offer the prodigy couldn't refuse, and soon he was fighting against Link as Mario. Ichigo went to the washroom for a second, but just looked in the mirror, a large goofy grin on his face. He couldn't help but laugh quietly to himself as he made up a plan for Toushiro.

When he finally came out, Hitsugaya was really into the game, and Ichigo yet again closed the door and locked it, barricading it with a chair under the knob. Ichigo sat behind the taichou, and got ready to put his plan into motion.

The teen foud a way to get closer to the prodigy as he played the game, and did came up behind him. No, he wasn't going to try and scare him, he was only going to show a little affection. Nothing wrong in that when the doors and windows were closed, right? No one else to see but them.

Ichigo suddenly wrapped his arms around the taichou, reached underneath his shirt, and pulled himself right behind the prodigy. Hitsugaya turned off the Wiimote and turned around, seeing the strawberry.

"**Wh-what are you doing, Kurosa-"**

"**Just enjoy it, Toushiro."**

"**Enjoy what?"**

"**This."**

Ichigo began to run his hands all over the taichou under his shirt, feeling a strong muscle every now and then, continuously rubbing the taichou's lightly outlined abs after he completed a cycle. Ichigo couldn't believe how soft the taichou's skin was, and he felt a little embarrassment at the fact that his hands were a little rough. But Hitsugaya didn't complain. He was enjoying this, even if he tried not to show it. He closed his light teal eyes and relaxed.

After a long time, was it hours? Minutes? Days? Ichigo had lost count of how long it had been, and stopped rubbing the taichou. He then closed his arms around the taichou under his shirt, and hugged him softly, whispering Hitsugaya's first name to himself, enjoying the way it rolled off of his tongue from saying it so many times. It was a part of his regular vocabulary now, and he could repeat it for hours on end. Hitsugaya leaned back on the teen's abdomen, and tilted his head upward, looking at the person that had him in his hold. Ichigo looked down at the taichou, and they both grinned a little. They were both sincerely happy to be together, alone in Ichigo's room, with no interruptions from anyone.

Hitsugaya put down the controllers and leaned back heavily, much to Ichigo's surprise, and the teen fell onto his back, and Hitsugaya carefully flipped himself over and kneeled over Ichigo, who looked back in slight surprise. Hitsugaya had a sad look on his face, and Ichigo blinked a few times, thinking that he was seeing things. Bt when he looked back at the prodigy, the look was still there.

"**What's wrong, Toushiro?"**

"**I just remembered…last night, while you were asleep, by Soul Pager went off and there was a message. And I have to tell you that it isn't a good one, either."**

"**A message? From who?"**

"**The Sou-taichou himself, and the message said that Central 46 may consider sending me back to the Soul Society soon."**

Ichigo's eyes widened. No, not now. Why did they have to do that so soon? There were going to be more attacks, there were bound to be more. Whenever they tried to relax, something always came up, and Toushiro might be sent back soon. Ichigo tried not to meet Hitsugaya's eyes. He couldn't. Even if he wanted to, he still wouldn't. He couldn't take the sad look in them.

"**I don't want you to go back, Toushiro. You're fine here. You're safe. There's bound to be more attacks soon, right? Aizen still has time to build up his army, and so do they."**

"**That's the thing, Kurosaki. They need everyone to pitch in. Including me. I know how you feel. I don't want to go, but I have to. If they order me to, I'll have to listen. But the main reason why they need me is because they know that Aizen's after me, and they think I'll be safer around more people than just a substitute shinigami."**

"**But still, if Aizen still goes after you, he'll hurt more people if they try to help you out. With me, there are less people likely to get hurt or killed."**

"**Kurosaki, you must try to understand. The less people protecting someone, the more close to danger they become. It's safer in numbers."**

"**But then, Aizen just might go after me, since I'll be one of his three main threats that's alone."**

"**Then I'll bring you with me."**

"**But what about Karakura City, then Aizen will try to use the City again to bring his plan into action!"**

Hitsugaya couldn't think of anything to say back. He wasn't trying to defend Soul Society, but he knew that he had to listen to his superiors. Ichigo had some good points, too, but Hitsugaya wasn't sure what was a safer choice. Ichigo, or Seretei? Hitsugaya had to choose between duty and Ichigo. That was a choice that he didn't want. Ichigo found the courage to look into the prodigy's eyes, but then saw that the prodigy didn't want to look into his. The taichou just looked away, avoiding the look.

"**I…just want…all of this…to be over and done with…" **Came the reply from the taichou, still looking away. Ichigo nodded, agreeing fully with the statement.

"**I wish Aizen would just screw off and give up trying to make this world more to his ideals, the bastard." **Ichigo said, trying not to ruin the moment with the venom dripping from words he wanted to say.Ichigo knew full well that there was no way in hell Aizen would give up now. He was so close to his goal, he could probably touch it if he reached out. The teen closed his eyes, having trouble trying to remember how exactly Soul Society had beaten Aizen that first time. But he hadn't been there, he'd heard all the stories from others that twisted the truth around. Only the Captains that had been there and those that had been serious about it had the real stories, or so Rangiku had told Ichigo a few months earlier when he told her some of the adaptions that he had heard.

_(A/N: Flashbacks will be in bold italics, much like Ichigo's Inner Hollow's speech in this story.)_

**_Ichigo had been looking for the truth for ages. The truth of who had defated Aizen. Some people had said their taichous had beaten him, or their friends, or even themselves. Ichigo headed toward the Tenth Division. He didn't now why, but he had a feeling that Toushiro and Rangiku would be honest about the War. _**

**_When he got there, he learned that Hitsugaya was taking a nap on the office couch from Rangiku, so he resorted to asking her about the War._**

**_"Rangiku, do you know who defeated Aizen in the war? I've heard some stories that don't sound right at all."_**

**_"Stories that don't sound right? Like what?"_**

**_Ichigo told her a story that had Komamura killing Aizen, and then proceeded to telling her the rest, most of them being pretty stupid and embarassing for the teen to retell. After he was done, Rangiku rushed him outside and began to laugh. Ichigo wasn't sure if Rangiku was okay, or was it that she was drinking sake while her taichou was sleeping._**

**_"What's so funny?" Ichigo asked, clearly missing the point. Rangiku laughed harder, and then when she finally clamed down, began to tell a story on how the war was from her point of view, that more or less, sounded the most fake of them all._**

**_"Yes, but, who beat Aizen?" Ichigo asked, finally annoyed._**

**_"Kurosaki, allow me to explain." Came a familiar voice. Ichigo turned, and saw what he expected; an annoyed white haired child prodigy that had been awakened from his nap by his fukutaichou's obnoxious laughing. He then dismissed Rangiku, and began to say the truth of the war._**

**_"So who killed Aizen?"_**

**_"Aizen wasn't killed. The bastard got away."_**


	26. Gin's Game

A few days later, Hitsugaya began to feel Matsumoto's spiritual pressure around the Kurosaki Clinic, so the two postponed _any_ sort of showing affection to each other, even with the kido sound barriers and the window closed and the door locked and barricaded. Just to be cautious, anyways. When they were sure she was gone, then they'd probably continue. But during the time that Rangiku was sneaking around, they both had to find something else to do.

Not too long after the pause in affections, Ichigo woke up one morning, and Hitsugaya was still sound asleep. As soon as he got dressed for school and was about to brush his hair, he realised that that day was the first day of his summer vacation. He grinned, and changed into a black t shirt and jeans. He then walked over to the washroom and looked into the mirror above the sink.

"**AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!?"**

Everyone came running, and Ichigo's dad looked dumbstruck, and about to start crying. Why? Why his son? Karin just took a few steps back in surprise and started laughing at Ichigo's expense. Yuzu yelled at Ichigo, and began to comfort her father in his time of need. A groggy Hitsugaya appeared, and blinked a few times before letting the corner of his lip lift a little. He was clearly amused at the sight he saw. In the carrot top's hair was little pink bows and ties and a mix of every colour hairpin there was. Ichigo immediately began to rip the things out of his hair, missing the large and bright red flower at the back of his head. Hitsugaya decided to walk up to him and take it out. As he did, so Ichigo whirled around, making the taichou jump a little. Ichigo looked at the large flashy flower in the taichou's hand, and grabbed it. He planned to burn all of this later. Ichigo stormed into his room, and Hitsugaya followed, closing the door behind him.

"_My own son…gone gay…I thought he had loads of girl friends by now…why him?" _Sobbed Isshin. Karin still laughed in the background, her face completely red.

"**This has Matsumoto written all over it! We have to get her back now! Let there be war!"**

Hitsugaya slowly inched away from the shamed and embarrassed teen, nodding his head. His Soul Pager began to ring, and he flipped it open. He pressed a few buttons, and his face turned grim.

"**What's wrong, Toushiro?"**

"**It's Aizen. He's got Momo. And Matsumoto. Inoue and Rukia, too."**

Ichigo's eyes widened. No. Not now. He stood up in alarm.

"**Where?"**

"**He says that if Abarai, you, and I don't go alone, he'll kill them."**

"**But…what about Gin, surely he couldn't let Rangiku be killed, could he?"**

Hitsugaya was well aware of the relationship between Matsumoto and Gin. He just shook his head, not wanting to waste time.

"**Where is it?"**

"**This place…called '**_**Fukai Tanima no Chishio'"**__(A/N: I' m guessing it means 'Deep Valley of Blood'.)_

"_**Fukai Tanima no Chishio? Where's that?"**_

"**I don't know, Kurosaki. But it says here that it's in Hueco Mundo."**

"…**Hueco Mundo…?" **Ichigo mused. The last time he'd been there, there had been no valleys at all. But then again, he hadn't explored the full extent of the white sanded desert.

"**That place is so big though! It could take years to find that stupid valley!"**

"**Who says that we'll be going the same way you did? You can use Shunpo right?"**

"**A bit…but still, I'm not as good as you!"**

"**Then if you can't keep up you can stay behind! I'm not leaving Momo and my fukutaichou there because I'm waiting for you, Kurosaki!"**

"**Well I can't just learn to Shunpo right now!"**

Hitsugaya grabbed Kon, dug his hand into the Mod Soul's mouth, grabbed a gikongan, and threw the pill at Ichigo, Hitsugaya grabbed one of his own gikongan pills, and swallowed it. He then jumped out the window, Ichigo following in his Soul Form. The two then headed for Urahara's house and burst into the house, and jumped down the ladder to the training room and told Urahara that they needed to get to Hueco Mundo. Urahara didn't ask, and opened the gate. After a brief thanks, they disappeared into the darkness.

The two appeared on the soft, white sands of the desert, and Hitsugaya began to shunpo a good distance away. Ichigo tried to follow, but it didn't work too well. He got only 6 feet further. After a while of waiting, the taichou became a little impatient. They were wasting time. He raced over to the struggling teen and grabbed his arm, and began to shunpo away, having a tight grip on the substitute's arm.

"**Toushiro! What's wrong!?"**

"**Nothing! You're taking too much time, that's all!"**

Ichigo nodded, even if Hitsugaya didn't notice. The teen knew that Hitsugaya had two motives for grabbing him; one: Ichigo sucked at Shunpo and was taking too long, like Hitsugaya had said, but the prodigy didn't say his other reason, that was pretty easy to spot: He had told Ichigo a few nights ago that the teen comforted him when he was around.

Ichigo was sure, that right now, Hitsugaya really needed comforting. His friends, Matsumoto and Momo, who were more like sisters to him, were captured and if they didn't arrive on time, they'd be killed. Ichigo came to a sudden realisation.

"**TOUSHIRO! STOP!"**

The taichou stopped, and looked at the teen in alarm.

"**He needed Renji too, Toushiro!"**

"_You really think Urahara didn't know about that?! He called me over, berry headed idiot!" _Came the familiar voice. Ichigo instantly whirled around, and saw Renji, who was laughing at Ichigo, having to be dragged around by Captain Hitsugaya.

"**Are we going or not?" **Ichigo asked.

Hitsugaya nodded, and still held onto the teen while he began to Shunpo off, following Aizen's spiritual pressure. Renji followed, suddenly realising that Hitsugaya had been red in the face, and that Shunpo usually didn't take up physical energy. And that he had been holding onto Ichigo. There was also was redness on the teen's face. Renji wondered if there was something going on between the taichou and the teen that no one else knew.

--------------------------------------

It took them a while to reach the valley, and by now, everyone had gotten impatient. They had to be careful when reaching the edges of the valley; if one of them fell, it was all over for them. Hitsugaya let go of the teen and went last, behind Ichigo. Renji weighed the most, and was the tallest, so he would go first to test.

Suddenly, as they were crossing a ledge, Hitsugaya slipped and fell over the edge. Renji paused, and watched as Ichigo reached down and grabbed the prodigy's hand. Ichigo was jerked down a little due to grabbing hold of the taichou, but he steadied himself, and with help from Renji, who grasped hold of the taichou's shihakushou, Hitsugaya was pulled back up on the ledge, shaking a little. Ichigo and Renji decided not to tease the taichou about it.

"**If you want we can take a break, Toushiro."**

"**No, I'm alright. Thanks, though."**

Renji looked at Ichigo, who shrugged, and the noticed that Hitsugaya had already crossed the ledge, not wanting to waste any time. The other two followed him, and they began to feel a large amount of reiatsu. Hitsugaya immediately snapped his head toward the source, and saw Aizen. Near him, held by his survivors, were Matsumoto who was held by Gin, Momo who was held by Ulquiorra, Orihime who was held by one of Barragan's fraccion, and Rukia who was held by Tousen. Aizen grinned. They had played right into his hands.

"_Welcome, dear Hitsugaya-taichou, Renji-fukutaichou, and Ichigo-san. Looks like you caught us at a good time."_

"_Give us back our friends!" _yelled Renji, poised to strike.

"_We cannot do that. Aizen-sama hasn't ordered it." _spoke Tousen.

" _Yeah. Ya all got ta play a lil' game with us firs'." _laughed Gin, his smile growing a bit wider.

"_Yes, Gin. They must play a little game first. I'll let you take over, Gin." _said Aizen, the fake smile crossing his face.

"_Let's play a lil' game called 'Catch all ya can'! Ya have ta catch all yer friend's 'fore they crash ta the ground, alrigh'? Go!"_

All those that had captives dropped them over the edge, revealing that all of them had been tied up. Hitsugaya instantly went for Momo, and grabbed her and then put her on a ledge. Then going after Matsumoto, he saw Tousen try to slice at him.

"**What the!?"**

"_Oh, did I ferget to tell all a' ya that we can attack an' make sure that ya don' get yer frien's, too."_

"**Kuso!"** Ichigo yelped when he got cut by Gin's shinsou while going after Orihime. Renji grabbed Rukia and tried to cut her binds, but Zabimaru was unable to cut through them. Hitsugaya was suddenly wrapped up by Tousen, and was then left alone.

"**What's going on?!" **He growled, still falling.

" _I also fergot ta tell ya that we can tie ya guys up, too."_

"**Renji, be careful! Tou…shiro…? Where are you?!" **Ichigo yelled out, looking around.

"**Down here!"**

"**You're tied up?"**

"**What does it look like?!"**

Ichigo then jumped down and grabbed Orihime, setting her beside Momo, and going after Hitsugaya, who was trying to break his binds and stop falling, but the binds just compressed his reiatsu immensely so he couldn't draw out enough to stand on the air. Hitsugaya saw Ichigo coming after him, and suddenly heard a scream.

"_SHIROU-CHAN!" _

Hitsugaya looked at Momo who had fear in her eyes as she saw her friend falling, unable to save himself. But she also saw Ichigo going after him, and he felt relief wash over her. Ichigo reached out and grasped the taichou's binds and felt his palm start to feel extremely hot. Despite this, though, he kept a good grip, and jumped upward. He then threw Hitsugaya over, away from him, and sent a small, weak Getsuga Tenshou at his binds. They disintegrated, and the taichou was freed. Ichigo then jumped over to Momo and Orihime, freeing them with Gestuga Tenshous. Hitsugaya saw Matsumoto on a ledge, and set a wave of ice at her binds. He then stuck his

sword into the ice, shattering the ice and the binds. She stood up, and the two met up with everyone else at the top of the valley. Ichigo had freed Rukia, and they all faced down Aizen, who grinned back, his fake fond smile not fooling any of them.

"**What was that for, Aizen?! You couldn't have wanted us to come here just to play a stupid game!" **yelled Ichigo, clearly not amused

Aizen just laughed, and Ichigo growled. He had had enough of this bullshit. The teen had a million reasons now for hating that man. Most of all, hurting his Toushiro. Ichigo jumped up, ready to rip that dang smile off of that bastard's face. He pointed his sword at Aizen's face,and got ready to send a Getsuga at him, but Gin got in the way. Hitsugaya had reasons for hating Gin, so he jumped at Gin, pushing the fox-faced man out of Ichigo's way. The two then proceeded to fight. Tousen also got in the teen's way, But Renji jumped at the blind man and kept him out of Ichigo's way. Everyone else that didn't have someone to fight chose someone out of the group and began to fight them. Not much longer, Ichigo thought.

"**GETSUGA TENSHOU!"**

The wave of reiatsu blasted out of Zangetsu, and flew at Aizen. The man used one hand to break it, and walked calmly toward Ichigo, the grin fading, and replaced with a scowl. Ichigo ran at Aizen, blade extended. The man pulled out his Zanpaku-to and metal clashed with metal. Ichigo and Aizen then parried each other's blows until…

_Splatter. Splatter. Splash. Drip._


	27. Protection

Ichigo opened his eyes. He saw blood. Lots of it. All over him, and Aizen. Ichigo looked up; Aizen's face was splattered with blood. The teen looked back down at his sword. Zangetsu had pierced Aizen's skin. Aizen's sword had pierced Ichigo's skin. Both had landed hits on opposite sides; Aizen's sword cutting through the left side of Ichigo's abdomen, Ichigo's sword into Aizen's right side of the abdomen. Neither of them drew back. Ichigo gripped Zangetsu tightly, and closed his eyes.

"_Going to sleep, are we, Ichigo-san?"_

"**Getsuga…Tenshou."**

Aizen's eyes widened, and the attack blasted into him. The man flew backward, into the cliff face, and crashed into it. Aizen then fell down to a ledge, and landed face-down on the hard rock surface. Ichigo watched, amazed that he actually had been able to do that. But then, Ichigo felt a large amount of reiatsu. It was overpowering him, and the teen fell to his knees, and coughed up some blood. His breathing grew irregular, and his throat was constricting due to the pressure. He gritted his teeth, and when the reiatsu's power subsided, he found every Shinigami and Orihime all on their knees. Orihime suffered the most, though and Ichigo yelled out at her,

"**Orihime, you okay?"**

"_I'm okay! Don't worry, Ichigo-kun!" _

Ichigo smiled at her enthusiasm, and looked at everyone else. The others had all stood up, and Ichigo followed. Suddenly, he felt something pierce his stomach. He looked down and saw a blade. He followed the strip of metal, and saw that it's wielder was Aizen. And he was alive.

"_Nice try, there, Ichigo-san. My turn."_

A large ball of kido hit the teen, who fell into the valley. He used his reiatsu to stand on the air as he did before, and he ran at Aizen.

"**BANKAI, TENSA ZANGETSU!"**

"_BANKAI, HIHIO ZABIMARU!"_

"**BANKAI, DAIGUREN HYOURIMARU!"**

The three of them gained different attributes: Renji gained a cape of fur that covered his back, neck, shoulders, and arms in fur, and his sword turned into a large snake body segments that were connected by his reiatsu. Ichigo wore the shihakushou pants, and a top that looked a lot like Ulquiorra's, and his large sword shrunk, turned black, and the cloth at the blunt end of his sword turned into a short, black chain. Hitsugaya gained wings of ice, ice feet, a dragon tail of ice, and his sword arm/right arm was covered in ice.

Ichigo then reached a hand onto his face and let the dark reiatsu around him form a hollow mask. He then began to strike Aizen, who tried his best to deflect the blows.

Hitsugaya deflected a slice from Gin, and returned it with a Daiguren Hyourinmaru. Out from his sword's tip came a large ice dragon with wings, that tried to engulf Gin. Gin held his stance, and sent a shinsou at the ice dragon, in an attempt to cut it in half. But his attack failed, and the ice dragon's jaws got ready to close him in. But Gin performed a shunpo, and got away unscathed.

Renji's snake grabbed Tousen in its jaws and repeatedly smashed him into the cliff face, the blind man getting multiple injuries all over his body. The snake then retracted, and tossed Tousen into the cliff once more, the blind man falling head first into the deep valley. But he caught himself in the air with his own reiatsu, and struck back at Renji.

---------------------------------------------

For hours the seemingly endless fight continued, until everyone grew weary. Orihime had been saved by Rukia, who had killed her opponent. Renji had lost, running out of energy. Matsumoto and Momo helped each other with their enemies, alerting the other of a surprise attack or any changes in the enemy's power. Hitsugaya was fairing well against Gin, but as expect, both were pretty tired and near being unable to fight any longer. Ichigo was getting tired, and Aizen had no ailments whatsoever. But Ichigo knew that Aizen wasn't trying to fight him. Only toying with him. Clearly pissed, the teen sent out a Getsuga Tenshou with all of his remaining energy and strength. It hit Aizen, and for normal people, would have killed or mortally wounded them. But for Aizen, it was a serious wound. But with all the wounds that he had received, the man had lost a great deal of blood, and was currently breathing heavily. Ichigo collapsed, and Aizen took the opportunity to attack, but Hitsugaya made sure that Aizen didn't get any closer to the teen while trying to fend off Gin. The other two already knew that Ichigo cared for the prodigy, and now were seeing the prodigy protecting him, despite his exhaustion. Aizen gained a smile, and he exchanged a look from Gin, and they ganged up on taichou, both sending kido at him. But Hitsugaya used his wings to protect himself and Ichigo, and then performed a Daiguren Hyourinmaru to keep them away. As the two were busy trying to destroy his ice dragon, the prodigy, took a good long look at Ichigo's wounds, and used some kido to try and heal his wounds and fend off infection.

"…**You'd better wake up soon Kurosaki…I'm not sure how long I can keep them away from you…But hell will have to freeze over twice before I'll let them get at you…" **He said, soothingly. He guessed it had fallen on deaf ears, because there was no reaction from the teen.

Aizen then destroyed the ice dragon, and attacked Hitsugaya. The taichou deflected it, and realised that Gin was going to use his shikai to get at Ichigo. The prodigy hit Gin with his tail, making the man fly backwards into the cliff face. Hitsugaya then turned back to Aizen, and let his reiatsu start to freeze the brown haired man's sword. Aizen pulled back and leaped at the taichou, blade extended. The prodigy then grabbed Ichigo and performed a shunpo to escape, and they reappeared not far away. Hitsugaya laid Ichigo back down on the air. He realised that he teen began to wake up, and told him to get up. Aizen and Gin closed in, and Hitsugaya took his stance. Ichigo opened his eyes fully, and saw the taichou standing protectively in front of him. The teen stood up quickly to his full height, and stood beside the taichou, sword extended. But Gin knew what was coming, so he defected, and Aizen couldn't follow his partner in time, and was stabbed in the stomach by Ichigo for a second time.

"**Smart move Aizen. This is payback for what you did to Toushiro! Gestuga Tenshou!"**

The Getsuga had been fired, and the black wave of energy with a red tint enveloped Aizen. There was a glare, and when everyone's sight(_A/N: Except for Tousen's)_ returned, they saw that Aizen had been fired back 50 feet. When Ichigo walked over to the man, he found that Aizen wasn't dead; he was mangled, burned, and everything else other than alive and dead. But it was for certain, that the man wasn't going to ever cause anyone harm intentionally or accidentally ever again. Ichigo stood and stared; it was over. All of it. He'd killed Aizen. Now it was for certain Toushiro would leave. No one to torture Karakura City. No one for him to need help killing. Toushiro wouldn't be in his room anymore. Toushiro couldn't go to school with him. The Soul Society didn't need him anymore. They probably wouldn't accept a simple reason to enter the Seretei such as that he wanted to see Toushiro. Ichigo lowered his eyes. Sure, he was glad that this was all over now, but now what? When the others came to congratulate him, Ichigo didn't feel any pride, he didn't feel sincere happiness; he felt regret. If only he hadn't fired that Getsuga Tenshou. If only Aizen could have been quicker and gotten away or did something to make the fight last longer. If only Aizen had given up or admitted defeat.

The rest of the attackers vanished, to discuss with the others what happened to their dear Aizen-sama.

Hitsugaya came up to the teen last, and really didn't say anything until Ichigo finally spoke.

"**It's all over, Toushiro. That's it. You'll certainly have to go back now."**

"**No, Kurosaki. It isn't over yet. We didn't kill the rest of them. They'll be wanting retribution. If anything, what you just did may elongate my stay in your world."**

"**But still…they have no one to lead them…they'll be attacking all the time, and never leave the City alone."**

"**Kurosaki, they might not be human, but most of the Espada and arrancar are civil. They aren't going to rush into battle without a leader. Most likely, they will in your terms, elect a new leader to take Aizen's place. Or a death match between the strongest may settle the new leader. But the civil ones will not fight without a leader to have their backs."**

"**But still…"**

Hitsugaya didn't want to argue, and turned to walk off, but Ichigo grabbed his arm. The taichou was taken aback by this public display, and surprised, he looked into Ichigo's brown eyes. Ichigo's sudden motion caught everyone's attention.

"**Toushiro…thanks."**

"**It's okay…it wasn't much…"**

Matsumoto looked as if she were about to squeal in joy. They were both displaying affection to each other, even if it was a little. She expected her taichou to rip his arm free of Ichigo's grasp, and tell everyone else to carry on. But what Ichigo said next, before her taichou had a chance to pull away surprised her.

" **I told you that I'd make him pay for what he did to you, Toushiro. And my **_**he**_** didn't interfere, either."**

Hitsugaya knew exactly what Ichigo had been talking about when he emphasised the 'he'. The teen had been referring into his currently pleased and dormant inner hollow. Hitsugaya lifted his lips in a small grin, just long enough for the teen to notice, then dropped it. But what he hadn't realised was that everyone else had seen it too. Matsumoto nudged Orihime, who looked at her like the woman wasn't truly all there. Ichigo then let of go the taichou, half expecting a kiss, half expecting for the taichou to turn around and tell everyone that they were leaving. The taichou did just that, and Ichigo followed him, turning around and following everyone as they left the valley.


	28. Moonlight

All of the survivors from the War all crowded around, arguing on who was to be the leader. Gin and Tousen declined, and Stark was too lazy for the responsibility. Barragan decided to take responsibility and become leader.

"_We must make sure that Lord Aizen's death is not in vain," _Barragan boomed above the rest, _"We shall kill Kurosaki Ichigo!"_

"_But what about that shrimp that was with him? I'm sure you all know about the guy that evaded Halibel and the guy that took on both Gin and Lord Aizen when Kurosaki Ichigo was down. He's one tough kid. What if he gets in the way?" _Yelled a voice in the crowd.

"_Then we'll crack his head open and stomp him flat! And we'll make sure that the strawberry sees it, too! Make him suffer! Then we'll kill that stupid excuse for a Shinigami!" _Came a wild response from another voice.

"_WE SHALL TAKE WHAT BELONGS TO US THE NEXT CHANCE WE GET!" _Roared Barragan, making the crowd yell in agreement. The more laid back ones were at the back, nodding their approval and discussing matters such as battle plans and such.

----------------------------------------------

Back in Ichigo's house, Hitsugaya and Ichigo were in their gigai and body, and were relaxing after the long fight, when there was a ring from Hitsugaya's pocket. He reached into the pocket, and grabbed his Soul Pager. He flipped it open and read the message.

"**Kurosaki, I was right. The Sou-taichou is allowing me to stay longer due to the circumstances."**

"**Toushiro, this isn't some sick joke, is it?"**

"**No, I don't think so. It's from Ukitake. He also says that…he's got more candy waiting for me when I get back…"**

"**I didn't know you liked candy, Toushiro."**

"**Of course I don't! I'm not a child!"**

"**Relax. So you're staying?"**

"**That's what I said, Kurosaki."**

Ichigo felt a wave of relief wash over him, and he slumped back on his bed, his back hitting the mattress and sheets. He closed his eyes, and let a small smile appear on his lips. Hitsugaya was also relieved; he didn't have to do paperwork, and he also didn't have to deal with Matsumoto, because within that message, Ukitake had said that Rukia, Renji, Yumichika, Hisagi, Ikkaku, and Matsumoto were all going back to the Seretei. No more tricks being played on them.

Hitsugaya walked over to Ichigo and sat down beside him. The teen pretended not to notice, and didn't do anything, even when he felt something wrap around him and touch his back. He then felt something on his stomach, and lower body. He opened his eyes; he saw Toushiro hugging him.

"**I really like it here…I wish…that I wouldn't have to leave…"**

"**Toushiro…when you leave…I'll come visit you…" **

"**But I want to be with you all the time…not just once in a while…I wish that I could give up my rank as a taichou…and just live with your family…so then I would be able to be with you…"**

Ichigo smiled, and placed his hands on the taichou. He then grasped the prodigy like a puppy, and the prodigy let of him. The teen then brought the taichou further up him, so then he'd be closer to Ichigo, not the floor. Hitsugaya squirmed uncomfortably being lifter up like that, but when finally set of Ichigo's stomach/chest, nuzzled into the teen's shirt. Ichigo then had a nice idea, and he sat up, the taichou's body sliding down a little, and the prodigy got up, wondering what the teenager had in mind. Ichigo grabbed Kon from his hiding place and forced a pill out of him. The teen swallowed the pill, told Hitsugaya, once he was in spirit form, to follow him. Reluctantly, the prodigy followed the teen, once in spirit form, and they both jumped out the window. They both then began to run, Ichigo in the lead, Hitsugaya sort of trailing behind, just in case the teen took an unexpected sudden turn.

"**Where are you taking me, Kurosaki?"**

"**You'll see, Toushiro." **Came the short reply. Ichigo's eyes shot behind him, to glance at the taichou, who gave him a confused stare. A smile played its way onto the teen's lips, and he looked ahead again. Hitsugaya ran faster, trying to run side by side with the teen as they dipped in and out of the shadows of the night, unseen by everyone without reiatsu.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Ichigo finally caught sight of the river, and made a beeline toward it. He had a trap set up for the taichou, and had kept it secret for a while now, since a bit before they left the house. When he got close to the river, on the little hill, he sped up, and near the bottom, turned around, much to the taichou's surprise, and spread his arms open, almost asking for an embrace. Hitsugaya ran into the teen's arms, completely by accident; the small hill was steep, and when one ran down a hill, it was hard to stop completely, exactly when one wanted to stop halfway, but accidentally runs straight to the bottom. Suffice to say, gravity and velocity were not on the prodigy's side that day.

On contact, Ichigo engaged the taichou in a head lock, and gave the prodigy a noogie,, messing up the young taichou's hair even more than what the wind had done it as they ran. The ice wielder protested loudly, but the anger in his yells had fallen on deaf ears, and he growled fiercely at the substitute, glaring daggers.

" **KUROSAKI, LET ME GO THIS INSTANT!"**

"**Why should I listen to you, Toushiro?" **Came the playful sneer, and Ichigo grinned evilly(though it was as fake as can be). The prodigy found himself glaring once again at the teen. Ichigo then began to spin around a few times, the prodigy still in the headlock, and he 'fell' to the ground. He then placed the taichou in his lap, who didn't squirm or get up. All he did was lay back on Ichigo's chest and looked up at the moon; the bright moonlight reflecting in his light teal iris'. The wind blew slightly, caressing their hair softly. Ichigo too looked up at the stars, sighing in sheer happiness. The sky was a beautiful sight, even if it was in the city, where little to no stars could be seen. The teen wanted this to last forever. Just him and Toushiro. His Toushiro.

Ichigo placed hand on the taichou's head, coursing his fingers through the soft, silvery hair, messing it up even more. Hitsugaya made no motion to knock away Ichigo's hand, and after a while, the teen took his hand out of the taichou's hair, and left the silver tufts alone. He then laid his arms on the taichou's shoulders, and the taichou yet again took the bait by taking Ichigo's larger hands in his smaller, softer, more agile hands and placed the larger hands and placed them on his chest, still holding them with his own. Ichigo felt the taichou's heartbeat, and smiled warmly at him. That's how close he wanted Ichigo to be. Near his heart, but still able to breathe. The next happy sigh came from Hitsugaya.

"**Kurosaki…I want you to know that…I love being with you and…that if you ever need someone to watch your back for whatever reason…you can count on me."**

Ichigo smiled, and looked down at Hitsugaya, who looked back up at him. Eyes met, and once again, brown met with light teal.

"**Toushiro…"**

"**Hmm?"**

"**I'm seme, baka ne."**

"**Since when?"**

"**Since now. I just called it."**

"**I'm older than you, Kurosaki, so I should be seme."**

" **Oh yeah?" **Ichigo said, one eyebrow raised. The taichou didn't know what hit him when the teen stood up, knocking over the taichou, and suddenly, turned on him, got down on his hands and knees, and pressed the taichou's back to the ground, and pinned the taichou, placing his powerful chest on the taichou's. The large body on top of him over powered the little taichou, and yet again, before he knew it, Ichigo forced his lips on the taichou's. All the prodigy did was let out a moan of pleasure, and Ichigo took advantage of when Hitsugaya tried to open his mouth and pull away, forcing his tongue into the taichou's mouth. They battled it out, the taichou loosing badly, due to being completely surprised at the teen's brute force. If Ichigo had chosen any other person to play seme/uke with, he would have mopped the floor with them and claimed seme with his utter strength. But of course, Hitsugaya was not of the ordinary, and he too would make a good seme, if he chose the right person.

Both of their hearts were beating so fast, neither of them could distinguish whose heart was whose.

Not long after, they parted, both gasping for breath. Ichigo grinned at Hitsugaya's cherry red face.

It didn't take long for Hitsugaya to fully recover, having smaller lungs than Ichigo, and then planted his passionate kiss on the teen, adding his tongue before his lips even met Ichigo's. Ichigo was pretty surprised at this turn of events, how the taichou got right to the point and not wasting time.

He's still trying to prove that he's seme, thought Ichigo.

They soon a parted once again, yet again out of breath. Ichigo gave Hitsugaya a genuine smile, impressed.

"**Not bad, uke." **Ichigo joked. Hitsugaya smiled back, but he still wanted to be seme, so when Ichigo seemingly lowered his guard and raised his body off of Hitsugaya's, the taichou tried to reach into the teen's shihakushou and rub Ichigo's chest, But the teen caught his hands and pushed them aside. He then wrapped his arms around the taichou and hugged him, the prodigy hugging back.

--------------------------------------------------------------

A few hours later into the night, the air became colder, even in the summer, and Ichigo began to shiver. The two had long since gotten off of each other, and now were sitting side by side, Hitsugaya falling asleep, his head on Ichigo's shoulder. Noticing the teen was shivering, Hitsugaya lifted his head, stood up, and took off his taichou's haori and draped it around Ichigo's shoulders. The teen smiled, and closed his eyes.

"**Still trying to be seme?"**

"**Yes."**

A sigh from Ichigo.

"**You can be seme for the rest of the night, and occasionally. But for the rest of the time, I'm seme, and you're uke. That clear to you, Toushiro?"**

"**Good enough for me, Kurosaki. And the name's Hitsugaya-taichou, not Toushiro."**

"**Toushiro?"**

"**Hmm?" **Came the annoyed tone.

"**Don't waste your time being seme on correcting me." **


	29. Beach Volleyball

The next day, due to lack of anything constructive to do, the prodigy and the teen decided to go to the town square.

"**So why exactly are we going to Karakura City's town square?" **said Hitsugaya, who was dressed in his shirt with a white 46 inside the square, on his left breast. His collar was standing upwards, curving to the sides, revealing the white inside. He wore regular jeans, and normal running shoes, too.

" **We have nothing better to do, I guess." **Came the reply from the teen, who was wearing a slim fit blue shirt, and also wore slim fit jeans, but a different brand name than that of Hitsugaya's. A shrug also followed the casual answer, and the taichou sighed. He walked out of the Kurosaki clan's house in his gigai, and Ichigo in his body. Ichigo led the way to the town square, Hitsugaya not quite behind him, but not quite beside him.

When they both reached the town square, they realised that it was pretty bare. Ichigo classified that as unusual, and Hitsugaya classified it as relieving(now he wouldn't have to do deal with crowds, for the more people, the hotter it was). Ichigo made a beeline to the most popular restaurant there(among the teenagers in his town). When they opened the door and stepped in, the teen was surprised. Usually he'd find Tatsuki and a group of people at school all sitting at a table, being loud or laughing away. But that day, the restaurant was almost empty.

"**Don't tell me everyone's got summer school…"**

"**Summer school…? Like they have school during their vacation?"**

"**Yeah, it's for helping them out with like things that they need to review on from the previous year and what to expect for the next year. It's either everyone got summer school, or Orihime and Tatsuki did exactly as they planned, and got some poor sap to drive them and Keigo, Chad, and Mizuiro all to the nearest beach."**

"**Hmm…what exactly is this 'beach'?"**

"**Oh, it's really a place that's really sandy over by a large body of water, like a really big lake or something. People like to go swimming and stuff at beaches when it's hot. It helps them cool down and have fun."**

"**Hmm."**

"**They also play games, too. Like beach Volleyball, and this game I forget the name of…but it's fun, anyways."**

Hitsugaya looked a little confused when Ichigo said 'beach volleyball'. The prodigy had never heard such a strange name in his life. Ichigo caught the taichou's look, and stared back at him in awe.

"**You've never heard of Beach Volleyball, Toushiro?"**

"**No, not apparently."**

"**Wait, does Seretei have any sports at all?"**

"**Sports?"**

"**You guys really have missed out on a lot of cool stuff…well, sports are games, like you know that one soccer match that you played? Yeah, they're competitive sports."**

"**Hmm… and you play these 'sports' for fun?"**

"**Yeah, especially when there is really nothing to do…hey, I could show you some sports, Toushiro. Just because you're here on a mission doesn't mean you can't have a little fun, right?"**

"**Uhh…I guess…?"**

Ichigo then walked out of the restaurant, and headed for Orihime's house, Hitsugaya wondering what exactly the teen had planned.

There was a note on Orihime's apartment door:

_I'm gone out to the beach with Tatsuki-san! Please come back later!_

_PS: If this is Kurosaki-kun, Ishida-kun, Toushiro-kun, or someone else I know, please find a way to come to the beach with me and Tatsuki-san!_

_Orihime-chan_

Ichigo grinned. Of course, he thought, typical Orihime. The teen then stretched out, and looked down at the taichou.

"**Looks like we should go visit them, Toushiro."**

"**But I hate hot weather."**

"**Then stay in the shade, you."**

"**But still-"**

"**No buts, Toushiro. If you're sill hot, even after a few minutes in the shade, I'll get Tatsuki to throw you in the water, headfirst."**

The teen then lead the way to the mall again, to get swimming trunks for Hitsugaya.

When they finally bought a pair that looked cool and fit the taichou, they headed toward Ichigo's house to get the teen's trunks and some towels. Ichigo grabbed his and left a note for his dad, saying that he was going to the beach with Hitsugaya. The two then waited for a bus and payed their fare, and soon enough, arrived at the beach. Orihime saw then first, and ran toward the strawberry and the taichou, in a red bikini. Tatsuki walked over, wearing a bikini top and trunks, her bikini bottoms underneath, of course. Mizuiro walked over, wearing red trunks and a damp shirt. His hair was all messed up, and dripping wet. Keigo ran over, glad to see Ichigo there. Ichigo rolled his eyes when the other teen started to cry happy tears. Hitsugaya rolled his eyes, and walked off to find a place to change. Ichigo directed him over to the changing rooms and walked in too, wanting to have some fun.

They came out, both in their trunks, and Ichigo ran toward the water, grinning like a five year old when they find a candy stash. When Hitsugaya walked by, Ichigo splashed the taichou, who gave him a dirty look. But Ichigo continued to send water at him, provoking the taichou. But the prodigy still didn't do anything. That's when Ichigo walked out of the water and grabbed the taichou, and with no help, successfully threw the grumpy kid into the water. The taichou stood up, the water coming up to his stomach. He sent a death glare at Ichigo while everyone else laughed. Ichigo shrugged, looking goofy, and Hitsugaya spat out some water that had found it's way into his mouth. Suddenly, Chad came up behind Ichigo and pushed the teen face first into the cold water. The teen stood up, and laughed. Hitsugaya grinned a little, and was nearly tripped by Orihime when she decided to try scuba diving with her goggles. He gained a slightly defensive posture, and when Orihime popped her head out of the water in the opposite direction as Hitsugaya was facing, he jumped. Orihime laughed at that taichou's reaction, and swam off. Suddenly, he saw a shadow above him, and saw that Ichigo had hurled Uyruu into the water too. Ichigo let out a loud obnoxious laugh, when suddenly, he felt himself being lifted up. He saw Chad grabbing his feet, and Hitsugaya at his wrists.

"**Chad…? Toushiro?! What're you guys doing- AHHHHHHHHHH!!!"**

The two hurled him into the cold water, and Chad grinned. Hitsugaya smirked, and Ichigo gave him a mischievous glance, and the next thing that taichou knew, he was hoisted on Ichigo's shoulders. Ichigo gave Chad a look, and Chad lifted Ichigo on top of his shoulders.

"**Kurosaki?! What are you doing?!"**

Chad then began to walk back over to the water, and tipped the two(frontward) that were on him over when he was thigh high(_A/N: A rhyme!)_ in the water. The two landed not far from each other, and Ichigo just stood up in the water, Hitsugaya was forced to swim, since he had landed further away than Ichigo. The teen walked over to Hitsugaya and put him back up on his shoulders.

"**It's not going to be like that last one, Kurosaki."**

"**Nope, don't worry. Just stay up there. We don't want little Toushiro drowning, now do we?"**

Hitsugaya frowned, and watched as Ichigo began to walk deeper into the water.

"**What are you doing?"**

"**THIS!" **Ichigo then flipped Hitsugaya backward into the water. Hitsugaya now wanted revenge. So he then swam off, leaving Ichigo alone.

"**Toushiro? Where are you?"**

The teen looked in the water. The taichou was nowhere to be found. Ichigo began to walk to shore when… He tripped. Hitsugaya gave him a part mean, part playful smirk. Ichigo spat water in his face. The prodigy gave him a displeased look, and began to wash his face with the water that was up to his shoulders, and found his face dunked in by none other than Ichigo Kurosaki. When the taichou brought his head up out of the water, he shook his head, splattering water everywhere, and spat a large amount of water at Ichigo, hitting the teen square in the cheek. The taichou had had practice when he used to spit watermelon seeds at Momo when she annoyed him or called him 'Shiro-chan'.

After a few more hours, it was time for everyone to leave. Everyone had already played beach Volleyball, and Hitsugaya had gotten a nice bruise on the majority of his face when the ball hit him. Worse, the ball had been volleyed over by Chad. After three games, Ichigo had finally come to conclusion: the taichou certainly did not like Volleyball. That was one sport off the list.

As they settled into their separate beds(_A/N: Just in case I forget that they both have separate beds)_, Ichigo smiled.

"**You okay, Toushiro? That one ball got you hard."**

"**Yeah, I'm okay. Don't worry about it." **Came the reply that sounded more like a yawn than anything else.

"**You sure?"**

"…**yeah…"**

"**Alright, good night, Toushiro."**

"**Good night…Kurosaki."**

Soon enough, Ichigo had fallen sleep, but Hitsugaya had trouble getting to sleep. He'd been feeling strange reiatsu throughout the day, and there was a sinking feeling tugging at his stomach. His heart dropped when he thought of leaving this house when the extended time was over. After a few hours of staring at the ceiling and thinking to himself, the prodigy fell asleep.


	30. Stolen Once Again

Ichigo woke up first and realised what time it was; 2:00 in the afternoon. The teen jolted out of his bed, but was suddenly shoved back in by a scowling child prodigy.

"**Toushiro, not now. Do you realise how late it is?"**

"**Kurosaki, you're catching a cold. You fainted before he snow under you could melt properly last night."**

"**No, I'm not. I'm perfectly fine, see?" **The teen stood up again, only to be pushed back down into the bed, once again.

" **You're getting sick. Your coughing woke me up a few hours ago, and I've been up ever since."**

"**Oh, gomen, Toushiro."**

The taichou then looked outside, glaring defiantly at the summer sun's blaze. He soon looked back at Ichigo, who was feeling his forehead, making sure he had no fever.

"**It was supposed to be joke, Kurosaki. I was relating to the fact that you had just stayed there on the snow."**

Ichigo looked down with disbelief. He was stunned; the cold, stoic, taichou telling a joke? It was something Ichigo couldn't bring himself to accept.

"**A…joke? As in…an effort to be funny or to make somebody laugh?"**

"**Yes."**

Ichigo laughed at that horrible joke. Even if had been funny, it was still a poor excuse for a joke. It was more like a figure of speech than a joke. The taichou glared, knowing exactly why the teen was laughing. Once Ichigo stopped laughing, he gave the taichou an allow-me-to-explain face.

"**I'm just not used to you telling jokes, that's all. It's a little awkward."**

"**Hmm."**

The teen then stood up once more, only to be pushed back down. Ichigo was pushed back down two more times before he finally saw that mischievous grin on Hitsugaya's face. The carrot top laughed, and stood up, and before Hitsugaya knew what hit him, the taichou was grabbed by the shirt and tossed onto the bed. Ichigo was then pulled down onto the bed and soon the two began to play wrestle on the bed, the teen easily over-powering the prodigy. It didn't take long before they both crashed to the carpet with a bang. Ichigo had landed on his back, Hitsugaya on top of him, Ichigo's stomach between the taichou's kneeling spread apart legs. Hitsugaya's hair was every which way, which made Ichigo laugh, and the teen turned them around, soon the taichou was below him, held in the same way the taichou had been on the teen.

"**Whatcha gonna do now, Toushiro?" **Ichigo cackled playfully, but not without an evil ring in his words.

It was then the curious Yuzu came in, trying to figure out what was going on. She found her brother on his knees, staring below him at the carpet. She tapped her brother's sholder, and he snapped his head round to look at her.

"**Yeah?"**

"_What was that bang?"_

"**Me falling out of bed. I'm fine. Hehe."**

"_Okay…"_ Yuzu said, leaving the room and closing the door behind her, revealing Hitsugaya, who was grinning.

"**Why do you do that?"**

"**Oh, so you want everyone to know?"**

"**No, but-"**

"**Then don't complain."**

"**Hai." **

Hitsugaya, pleased, walked over and sat down on Ichigo's chair and looked at the teen.

"**Since when was uke so quick?" **Came the playful chide from Ichigo, his eye sparkling a little. He was still full of energy that hadn't been wasted.

"**Since your uke used Shunpo in a gigai."**

"**I didn't say anything about you being my uke."**

"**Well I did. And it's seme to you, uke."**

"**Wanna bet? I'm larger than you, as shown in that little wrestling match earlier, and I could crush you under my weight, Toushiro. I'm no uke."**

"**I may not have a string build like yours, but I'm stronger than I look, I'm quicker than you, and I can tell if someone with reiatsu is coming. I'm also much quieter than you. I'm not an uke."**

"**Rock, Paper, Scissors? Winner is seme for a week?"**

"**That's a stupid way to decide who seme and who's uke."**

"**Do you wanna have a chance to be seme or not?"**

"**Yes but that's a one in three chance. And I'm not one to gamble."**

"**At least you have a chance, though."**

"**Again, one in three odds that I'll win. I enjoy 50/50 odds, and that only happens if you're willing to cooperate with me."**

"**Oh, no Toushiro. Poor, poor Toushiro. You have it all wrong. When you face me, it's a one in a million chance that you'll win."**

"**Are you completely positive?"**

"**Yeah."**

The taichou then jumped Ichigo, and the two then began Round Two of their wrestling match.

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The whole rest of the day, Hitsugaya tried to prove himself as a seme, but had failed for the most part. When it was time for them to get to bed, Hitsugaya waited till Ichigo had climbed into his bed before joining the teen, laying his head on the teen's chest and wrapping his arms around him. The rest of the taichou's body was wherever the taichou deemed comfortable at that moment. The prodigy soon fell asleep, his breathing becoming slower and the blush on his face ever present. Ichigo placed his hands on the taichou's back, holding the taichou closer. The teen smiled, and soon fell asleep too.

The next day, Ichigo woke up first. He smiled when he noticed the absence of Hitsugaya on him, and the teen looked beside him. He saw the taichou, really close to him. The teen looked down at the taichou's face fondly, and ran his fingers through the taichou's soft hair. There was a small moan of comfort and of feeling safe from the prodigy, and the teen got up out of bed carefully so he didn't wake Hitsugaya. The teen then walked out of the room, downstairs, and into the kitchen there was a note on the fridge door from Isshin, telling Ichigo that he had taken his sisters to the new water park downtown. After Ichigo had finished reading the note, he opened a cupboard and grabbed the nearest food he liked.

Hitsugaya woke up after he realised that the person that he was trying to sleep-nuzzle wasn't there. The taichou sat up, and took a good look around. Nope, Ichigo wasn't there. Hitsugaya got out of the bed and walked out of the room and downstairs. The taichou walked into the kitchen and saw Ichigo eating sushi.

"**Kurosaki, you're eating sushi…for breakfast?"**

"**Yeah, so?"**

"**Whatever." **

Hitsugaya sat across from the teen, and picked up a pair of chopsticks and also began to eat, grabbing the little cold rice cakes with the thinned out ends of the wooden sticks and placing them in his mouth.

For the most of the meal, the two stared at each other, not talking, but absorbing the other's features and enjoying their company. Finally, when Hitsugaya had eaten his fill, the taichou stood up, and began to walk out of the room when Ichigo grabbed the dish and put it on the sink and then followed the taichou upstairs. The two got dressed, and soon, went out for a walk.

Suddenly, as they reached the park, there was a large ripping noise, and soon, Ulquiorra appeared. Before Ichigo could do anything, he was knocked out.

When the teen awoke again, Hitsugaya was gone. Ichigo shouted out the taichou's name a few times before finally yelling,

"**Toushiro, if this is some kind of joke, it's not funny! Come out!"**

But there was no reply. Ichigo had to face the horrible, undeniable truth; Hitsugaya had been captured. Again.

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**_Alright guys. Sorry for the lateness... school's been a killer. XDDDD And I have so much planned now for the story that it's crazy, but most of it will have to take place in the next year or so into the story line o.O I hope you all love what I have planned. And if you guys have any ideas, please give me a few suggestions and stuff XDDDD_**

**_And should I make a reviewer's question box? Like if a reviewer has a question, then I can answer it at the end of the next chapter? Please tell me what you guys think._**

**_~Dark Angel Syndrome_**


	31. Pillows

Ichigo ran toward the Urahara Shoten, knowing that Mr. Hat-and-Clogs had the closest senkaimon to Hueco Mundo. The teen burst through the doors and blinked a few times. Much to his surprise, he saw Renji, Hisagi, Yumichika, and Ikkaku all stood up, as if they were ready to take off somewhere.

"**What're you guys doing here?!"**

"_We noticed that Hitsugaya-taichou's reiatsu disappeared while we were on vacation, so we came here, knowing that you'd want to go to Hueco Mundo to get save him." _Yumichika answered, smiling lightly. He felt Ikkaku's arm wrap around his shoulder, and Yumichika gave him a sidelong glance.

"_And we all know how precious he is to you, Ichigo. Even the shopkeeper here and Yoruichi-san." _Added Hisagi, who was revelling at Renji's hands running through his hair, messing up the other fukutaichou's spiky purple locks.

"_And we're here to help you get him back, like Yumi said." _Ikakku agreed, grinning at his partner fondly.

"_What Kakku said," _Renji tossed his two cents in.

"_Oi! You are nearly beautiful enough to call Ikkaku by the nickname I gave him!" _Yumichika snapped at the red haired fukutaichou. Ikkaku nodded his approval when Renji backed off apologizing.

"_Anyway, they all wanted to help you get Hitsugaya-taichou back. They're really eager, too, Kurosaki-san." _Urahara said, grinning scandalously.

"**But what do they want in return?" **

"_To see you two get over the fact that it doesn't have to a secret. Everyone in Soul Society knows about the four of us and there have been no qualms at all about it, either. Or from what I've experienced." _Hisagi said, but as soon as the words had left his mouth, he was whacked upside the head by Renji.

"_Like you'd know. The only other time you weren't drunk and in quarantine was when I came and visited you last weekend, and you were heading out to the bar, once again, too."_

"_Well I don't remember anything bad, so I'm good." _Hisagi laughed.

"_No one DARES to say anything bad about us, right Yumi?" _Ikkaku asked, gently caressing Yumichika's hair with a grizzled hand.

"_That's because they wouldn't dare to make fun of you straight to your face, Kakku."_ Yumichika said, smiling wider.

"**So you guys just want us to show affection…in public?"**

"_Yeah, basically."_ all the shinigami replied in unison.

"**I'll have to ask Toushiro about it…it see if he's okay with it…"** Ichigo said, his voice trailing off.

"_ALRIGHT! C'MON GUYS, LET'S GO KICK SOME ESPADA BUTT!" _Ikkaku yelled, leading the group to the basement and into the senkaimon.

Upon entry into Hueco Mundo, they all began to run toward the direction of Las Noches.

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Within a large dark room, Barragan sat, his finger lightly tapping a large blue button. He watched the security tapes and saw the five running toward his castle. Suddenly, he noticed a silhouette behind him. He paid no attention to the fox faced former taichou the was looking over his shoulder with his crimson red eyes narrowed. Barragan pushed the button, and Gin spoke in his sly, mocking tone,

"_So, Barragan-sama. Ya messin' with the kiddies? Ya know that that Muchos Grandes hollows don't like to be starved and tampered with. They'll be hungry when they get to our guests. Aren't ya overcompensatin' just a lil' bit?"_

"_Nonsense. The Kurosaki worm deserves it. He fell right into my trap so blindly."_

"_Well ya are playin' the trump card there, Barragan-sama. Ya did tell dear Quatro ta steal his taichou. But if I were you, Barragan, I'd be worrin' more 'bout what'll happen if he just happens to break in, instead a' worrin' 'bout defences."_

And with that, Gin left the room. Barragan scoffed, and continued watching the security cameras, soon seeing a flock of white hollows with black masks rushing in the direction of the five intruders.

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Hisagi was the first to notice the warren of hollows, and sent a few kidou spells at them. He then directed the group to the largest sand dune in the area and told the others to go ahead without him. Renji protested, not wanting to leave his lover, but Hisagi gave him a kiss on the forehead and told Renji that he wouldn't die as long as Renji believed in him. Renji nodded, and watched at Hisai jumped out to fight the Muchos Grandes. The other four got away safely, and Renji was regretting his decision to listen to Hisagi.

Soon, when Las Noches could be seen in the distance, an adjuchas level Menos appeared, and Renji decided to fight it, telling the others to leave and that he'd catch up. Ichigo lead the group the rest of the way to Las Noches. Once within the halls, they were attacked once again. This time, Yumichika volunteered to fight the attackers off. Ikkaku let him do so, and waved goodbye as he and Ichigo continued their trek.

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"_The pest Kurosaki Ichigo is back, and it is time for us to get rid of him once and for all. Privaron Stark, Wonderwice, Sexta Grimmjow, and Quatara Ulquiorra must stay behind and guard Las Noches. The rest of you…must fight these felons. And whomever kills Kurosaki Ichigo will be rewarded by a promotion in rank." _Barragan announced to the council of arrancar in front of him. They all roared in agreement, and began to run to where they had been ordered to go.

Ichigo wasn't exactly sure how he had done it. He had taken back the prisioner, and evaded death, yet again. All of the group had been reunited with their partners, and were now doing whatever they seemed fit. And all of them had arrived home intact, which Ichigo regarded as a miracle.

At the moment, Ichigo's T.I.D(Taichou in Despair, as the teen called him every now and then ever since the incident) was reclining(yes, reclining) on the carrot-top's bed, texting his life away. The prodigy's right arm, both legs, left wrist, and all of his abdomen was covered in the white bandages. The taichou directed his teal eyes away from the tiny screen of the Pager and stared momentarily at Ichigo, and when their eyes met, the teen looked away, pretending that he hadn't been scrutinizing the taichou.

"**Why must you do that?" **The taichou asked cooly. Ichigo fidgeted at the sudden break of silence, apart from the beeping of the Soul Pager whenever a key was pressed.

" **Do what?" **The teen responded, just as calm, raising an orange brow.

"**Stare at me like that. It's extremely distracting."**

Ichigo said nothing, for he was dumbstruck. But he recovered quickly and retorted, sending a cold gaze at the prodigy, crossing his arms, **"It isn't my fault that your pager makes that annoying beeping sound when you're texting. It's ruining the silence, and it's distracting me from my thoughts."**

"**I'm not 'texting', as you say, Kurosaki. I'm writing and transmitting my report digitally through the Soul Pager."**

"**Whatever. It's still annoying, Toushiro."**

"**Speak for yourself, boy." **Hitsugaya replied, ice encasing his words. Ichigo could almost feel the cold breeze in his head as his brain registered what he had just heard. The teen snorted, and scoffed, **"That's all you've done since we got back from Hueco Mundo. Are you trying to write a book on your cordial stay at Hotel Las Noches? On how they treated you so kindly, they simply couldn't stop? How they tied you up and took you to your dungeon-themed room, complete with restored ancient torture technology? How they loved you staying there so much they simply **_**couldn't **_**hold back their swords and weapons when they saw you, all alone in your comfortably cold room with cobble stoned walls and no bed and you hanging by your wrists from the roof? How they fed you gourmet meals, and tried not to force food down your throat when you couldn't eat anymore?" **

The teen's words were laced with acid and sarcasm. Hitsugaya flinched at the harsh response; it triggered horrible memories of his _lovely_ stay at Las Noches.

"**Urusai, Kurosaki. I have work to do." **Was the only thing Hitsugaya had to say after Ichigo was left panting from his rant on how bad they had treated his friend.

"**Wait…they did all of that to you, and you're not angry? Normal people would be so pissed off if that happened to them…what's wrong?"**

"**I'm trying not to think about it, but you just made me remember everything that had happened. I hope you're happy. Arigatou**(_A/N: Thank you)_**, Kurosaki-san."**

"**Gomen, Toushiro."**

"**Hitsugaya-taichou da**_(A/N: 'It's Hitsugaya-taichou)_**."**

"**Ichigo da**_(A/N: "It's Ichigo.")_**."**

"**Urusai."**

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After ten more minutes of that inferior beeping, Ichigo stood up from his seat, took the Soul Pager away from Hitsugaya, and placed it on the table. He then pinned Hitsugaya to the bed, grabbing the small wrists with his large hands, and the taichou's bandaged abdomen between his legs, the teen resting just above the taichou's waist. Ichigo grinned, and Hitsugaya looked into the teen's brown eye, confused. Never before had the teen done this.

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One round of one-sided wresting(Hitsugaya was winning by a landslide!) later, Ichigo had to let the taichou do as he pleased to him for 20 minutes. It was a game they made up before starting to wrestle; 'The winner is allowed to do whatever they wished to the loser for 20 minutes.'

But there were a few limitations: no dirty, extremely naughty things being done, and no sex of any form. Both the taichou and teen had come up with the rules, to not risk their little secret to get any further than the few people that knew, namely Renji, Hisagi, Ikkaku, Yumichika, Urahara, and Yoruichi.

Hitsugaya considered his few options; taking substitute out for a date, or lunch, or SOMETHING, when he felt the arms below him clasp around him tightly, but not suffocatingly

"**I thought I was the one taking control, not the other way around." **Hitsugaya said jokingly.

"**I wanted a hug before you began. Is that a crime?" **Ichigo asked, sitting up and nuzzling into the taichou's hair, breathing deeply into it, taking in the prodigy's scent. Hitsugaya sighed happily, the warmth of Ichigo's breath giving him goosebumps, but it felt nice on his scalp.

"**No, I'm sure it's not a crime." **came the response, a smile tugging at the corner of the prodigy's lips. Their eyes met, and Ichigo found himself being tugged closer to the prodigy, and he allowed the embrace to deepen. Their breaths collided against one another, but soon were in a smooth synchronization. Hitsugaya allowed himself a satisfied grin, and found himself leaning in and nibbling at Ichigo's neck, and the teen let out a small groan. Hitsugaya then slowly began to lightly suck on Ichigo's neck, but when he felt it begin to get warm with his tongue, he stopped, knowing full-well what bruises on the neck stood for, and when one usually gave one to their significant other. Hitsugaya then occupied his lips by pulling at the teen's ear lobe playfully Ichigo felt blood rushing to his cheeks when he felt the taichou's hands begin to trace randomly all over his upper body, careful not to go below the waistline. The teen's body began to shake violently, when suddenly, Hitsugaya figured out that he was laughing, but trying to not let the sound out. Ichigo was ticklish. Who would've known?

"**Kurosaki…are you…ticklish?"**

"**No- I'm just sensitive to cold. Man, Toushiro, your hands are so cold…"**

"**Well, well. Big, bad Kurosaki's ticklish. What a nice discovery we have here."**

"**I swear I'm not tick- TOUSH-" **Before Ichigo finished, Hitsugaya yet again began to tickle him, every now and then prodding him in the side, until Ichigo's resolve broke like chalk under pressure and the teen began a laughing fit. Hitsugaya smiled ; he couldn't help it.

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When the carrot-top regained composure, they decided on going out for lunch, and the awkwardly discussed their plans for the rest of the day as they ate. Ichigo played, as usual, and soon, the two found themselves trying to track down the ice cream man. After they got their ice creams, they say down on the park bench, and relaxing, talking about what they normally did everyday. Suddenly, a group of girls about Ichigo's age walked over to them and began to say how cute Hitsugaya was and how they absolutely loved guys like him, when Ichigo glared at them protectively, and told them straight up that Hitsugaya was taken.

"_Taken? By who?"_

"**By me. Buzz off and get your own."**

"_He's such a mean guy, and probably a pedophile too. Why do you like him? Does he force you to stay with him? Did he touch you anywhere that you didn't like?"_

"**No, he didn't. I'm perfectly fine with him. Now could you leave us alone before he pops a blood vessel?" **Hitsugaya deadpanned.

"_Stockholm Syndrome?" _One suggested in a whisper.

"_Definitely." _The rest agreed quietly.

"_C'mon, little boy, come with us. We'll help you find your parents and take you away from the mean boy." _They cooed, turning to Hitsugaya once more, one even going so far as to place a hand on his shoulder and smiled down at him as if he were a sibling who had done the most impossible thing in the world .

"**He's my friend. He isn't going to and hasn't ever harmed me." **Hitsugaya said coolly. But he was lying on the last statement. Of course the teen had harmed him. The stupid substitute had punched him in the face for not letting his friends help ease his suffering that one time.

"_You poor, tortured soul. He'll hurt you. Can't you see it in his eyes?"_

Ichigo glared with more ferocity. He knew exactly what they wanted to do. Take away Toushiro and keep him for their benefit. They were the pedophiles. They wanted to hurt his Toushiro. And hell would have to freeze over a million times before Ichigo would let _anyone _harm Toushiro so soon after the taichou had been literally locked in a cell, for God knows how long, starved, hung up by his wrists from the ceiling, nearly disembowelled, whipped with swords and branches from the few dead trees in the greyscale desert, and tortured.

"**He's mine, and that's it. Leave us alone. Let's go, Toushiro."**

"**Alright."**

The two then walked off, leaving the girls behind, stricken dumb. But they began to plot their revenge on the teen for taking their target away. It wouldn't be that last that idiot would hear from them.

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Hitsugaya didn't speak as they walked away, keep his thoughts to himself. Ichigo was unnerved by the silence, and pulled Hitsugaya to the side and bent down to meet him eye-to-eye. He knew exactly what the taichou had been thinking about.

"**You know I'll never again try to hurt you intentionally, even if you want me to, right?"**

"**Yes, I know."**

"**Good. But if my hollow ever took over me and I hurt you…" **Ichigo trailed off.

"**I'd forgive you because it would have been your hollow, not you, and I'd try to force it back into your consciousness. "**

"**Toushiro…?"**

"**Hmm?"**

"**Thanks…for everything."**

"**You're talking to me as if you're going to die."**

"**I'm just afraid that if my hollow does find a way to take over, and if I hurt or killed you…I don't know what I'd do to myself. And I'm not sure how long I can live without you alive, Toushiro."**

"…"

"…**Want to go back?"**

"**Sure…I guess."**

They headed home, and once they were in Ichigo's room, Hitsugaya spoke quietly, as if he were musing something, **"I don't know what I'd do without you…Kurosaki…"**

Ichigo's eyes widened, and acting entirely on instinct, the teen walked over and embraced the taichou, burying his face into Hitsugaya' soft silver tufts. The prodigy rested his chin on the teen's shoulder and smiled lightly as he felt the teen take in his smell and exhale. Hitsugaya wanted to say something, but he chased it away to the back of his mind, afraid that it would be the inappropriate time to say it. Or if Ichigo said it now, it would slip out on him, and it would take a load off of his shoulders, but the teen didn't, so Hitsugaya continued to mentally chase it to the very back and confine it there with chain links, coded locks, and a fence of steel around it. The teen let go of the taichou, and Hitsugaya followed, and Ichigo laid down in his bed, closing his eyes, tired. He didn't even change into his night clothing. He was exhausted. Suddenly, he felt something on his abdomen, and opened one eye. Hitsugaya was there. Ichigo smiled, and grabbed the taichou lightly, and lifted the rest of him onto the bed, and placed the taichou onto him, the prodigy laying his head on the teen's right breast, and looking up into the hazelnut eyes of the teen with his light teal eyes.

"**Need a pillow?" **Ichigo asked jokingly, holding up a pillow that had been bedside him for emphasis.

"**I'm good." **Hitsugaya answered, letting out a small chuckle as he spoke. Ichigo grinned a little, and soon, they both fell asleep.

________________________________________________________________________

_**A/N: I'm SO sorry for not getting this up earlier!!!!! I had no muse, and I got lazy XDDD So sorry if you guys expected a fight scene. This was also rushed, because I wanted to get through this before I lost all interest. But alas, I FINALLY finished it :P**_

_**Next chapter, there will be a few good laughs, and will basically be crack and random. I just made up a bunch of stuff, and thought it would be funny to put here. But I'm having fun making up ideas for it, too XDDD**_

_**I promise the next chapter will be up sooner than this one. Hopefully by Wednesday, in Canadian time :P So three days. XDD**_

_**TIP: When writing stories that have a slight angst tint to it, like this one, listen to Evanescence and Within Temptation. That was the main music I used as I finished this chapter. But I'm weird and I listen to ANY music as I write, which causes random stuff to pop out…randomly X)**_

_**So I hope you guys are enjoying this chapter, and many thanks to ALL of my reviewers and those that watch this story. I can't believe that this story got to be over 30 chapters, and STILL be a hit for all shippers of the implied pairing. I'm honoured XDDD**_

_**Ending this ridiculously long Author's Note,**_

_**~Dark Angel Syndrome**_


	32. Water Fights

Ichigo sighed as he and Hitsugaya relaxed under the shade of a tree. It was an exceptionally hot day, and Ichigo had gotten tired of Hitsugaya's glares and growls whenever he turned off the air condition, as if the prodigy owned it.

"**I don't get it. You have the coldest reiatsu in the world and you still want the air conditioner on."**

"**I'm on my limiters, Kurosaki. And I'd freeze you to death if I used my full reiatsu to keep myself cold."**

"**Oh, yeah…sorry…"**

Suddenly, the two were bombarded by water pistols spraying their contents at them The people behind the toy weapons were Keigo, Mizuiro, Yumichika, Ikkaku, and Rangiku.

"**Matsumoto! What is the meaning of this?!"**

"**Bastards…what was that for?!"**

But they were gone a quick as they came. The two looked at each other, an evil plan forming in their minds.

"**We need to get back at them once and for all." **Ichigo stated. Hitsugaya nodded his agree, and suggested using grape juice. Ichigo grinned slyly, and agreed.

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They loaded up their weapons and got onto the school roof, above their unsuspecting victims. Ichigonoticed a certain lawnchair hat, and groaned, **"Aw creeps, even Mr. Hat n' Clogs is here. We're gonna have to be sneaky…"**

"**Got it covered." **Hitsugaya said, throwing a well-aimed juice balloon right in Rangiku's hair. They both snickered; with the way Hitsugaya threw the balloons, they'd hit everyone within three minutes. Ichigo threw his at Ikkaku's shiny bald head, but it landed on his shoulder, and sprayed all over Yumichika. Rangiku laughed but karma(in the shape of her taichou), shot another well-aimed grape juice balloon on her new outfit. She screamed, and it was Yumichika and Ikkaku's turn to laugh, even if Yumichika's laugh was weaker. Ichigo was laughing hysterically. He couldn't help it. Revenge was sweet. Hitsugaya was finding it a little hard to keep his customary scowl as he watched \his fukutaichou freaking out. But he was laughing to himself, too, so it didn't really make a difference. Ichigo was glad to see that he was loosening up a little.

Keigo heard Ichigo, and was about to tell everyone who the culprits were when Ichigo threw a dead fish, knocking the other teen out cold. He collapsed.

"**Was that really necessary? I could have easily taken care of him." **Hitsugaya asked, raising a brow.

"**Sort of." **Ichigo responded sheepishly. Hitsugaya rolled his eyes, and turned his attention to the noise below.

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"_OH MY GOD WHO EVER DID THIS IS GOING TO FREAKING PAY, AND WILL PAY DEARLY!!!!!"_

"_My hair's ruined too, Rangiku."_

"_Yeah, but you didn't buy an expensive outfit just to have to ruined!"_

"_I told you not to wear it…but you didn't listen to me…"_

"_GET OVER IT!" _Ikkaku roared at the two as he picked Keigo up off the ground. _"We've got other worries right now…like how we're gonna get back at them."_

"_Ikkaku-san's right, we have to figure out WHO they are now." _Urahara said, grinning ever-so-slightly.

Ikkaku propped Keigo up against a tree, and motioned Yumichika over. The fifth seat walked over, and Ikkaku turned him around, and helped him pick the latex balloon out of his hair gently. Rangiku rolled her eyes, but Urhara grinned and asked her if she was jealous that Yumichika had someone to help him, but she scoffed and said that women don't need help taking stupid rubber bits out of their hair. Urahara's grin widened as Rangiku began to take the latex out of her hair.

"_I wonder who's doing-" _Urahara began to say before he was hit. There was a splash, and a few drips following. The shopkeeper felkt wetness under his hair, and reached to touch his hat. I was soaking wet. And sticky. Urahara growled low in his throat, and glared out of the corner of his eye. They had ruined his prized signature hat.

"_Now it's war."_

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Hisagi burst out laughing. He couldn't help himself. He had soaked Renji with a trap consisting of water balloons and water pistols. The redhead was soaked. Renji followed behind him, his hair still dripping and was pointing downward, like a ponytail.

"_Ren, just untie your hair. You look cooler that way."_

"_I'll look weird."_

"_You look weird now, like a school girl."_

"_I'll look like a lady if I untie my hair."_

"_No, you'll look like a guy with long hair. No lady is insane enough to get tattoos on her face."_

"_Well maybe some are…"_

"_Aww, just shut up and untie it. It'll dry faster."_

"_Have I ever told you to cover up that stupid tattoo of yours? What would a human girl do if she saw it? Do you know what it means here?"_

"_I'll say that I tried to get the cancer sign but the idiot tattooist was gay and wanted to torture me."_

"_Like they'll believe that."_

"_Not like I care. Hey, I may be perverted, but you're just as bad as me."_

"_I'm not the one with a sexual number tattooed on my face, am I?"_

"_No, but I didn't wear a necklace with a-"_

Renji punched Hisagi in the jaw before the other fukutaichou could finish his sentence.

"_Fine, fine, I won't bring that up again. But I got this tattoo because my idol had it when he saved me from a group of hollows."_

"_Who was your idol, the freaky perverted old man from Naruto, or sexy_man_123?"_

Now it was Hisagi's turn to slug Renji.

"_No, it was Kensei. But he disappeared not long after he saved me. I think it was the first and last time I saw him."_

_Oh, well, I bet he was strong, right? I bet he's surrounded by pretty girls or something now. Or at least alive."_

"_Yeah, I guess so. I wonder if he'd recognise me."_

"_Most likely not. You look more like a guy now than you ever did."_

"_Are you saying that I looked like a girl back when I was your Senpai__**(A/N: student teacher)**__?"_

"_Heck yeah."_

"_Then why didn't you tell me to get a haircut?"_

"_I did! Multiple times!"_

"_Relax, Ren."_

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After the offenders had found out who the culprits were, a few more hours passed and the feud continued, until one team surrendered.

That night, both Ichigo and Hitsugaya fell asleep in their respective spots and fell asleep instantly.

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**Shortest chapter I've ever written. Don't worry, next chapter shall have a battle and an epic fight scene and be longer XDDD**

**Ending this ridiculously short Author's Note,**

**~Dark Angel Syndrome**


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